


Rick In The Water

by arcanesupernova



Series: Rick In The Water Series [1]
Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: (feedback always helps with updates), Beth's childhood friend has a huge thing for Rick, But not too sensitive because come on he's still Rick fucking Sanchez, Canon What Canon, Childhood Friend has a shitty husband, Clingy Rick Sanchez, Council of Ricks - Freeform, F/M, I mean its there but it might not be the canon you're looking for haha, Marital Strife, Overly sensitive Rick, Protective!Rick, Reader insert fic, Reader-Interactive, Rick N-682, Rick has a thing for Beth's childhood friend, Slow Burn, Smut, Updates wheneverly, Upgraded from mature to explicit, depending on how fast you can read anyway, domestic abuse, no beta we die like men, no incest ever, reader insert that uses nickname more often than not, unity, we goin' to the citadel!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-06
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-04-11 16:58:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 68,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19113925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arcanesupernova/pseuds/arcanesupernova
Summary: You were best friends with Beth as kids, meaning you knew her family and you developed a crush on her dad. When he left, you picked up the pieces of yourself and Beth, helping her and Jerry raise Summer. Flash forward fifteen years and Rick's back, and you're married to a shitty guy and since Rick isn't a fucking idiot he sees it right away, and despite the conclusion you came to to save yourself the heartache of his leaving, he cares. A lot.CONTENT WARNING: I'm not kidding when I say you have a shitty husband. There are descriptions of abuse in this fic and I don't want to upset anyone so if that's something that upsets you, please proceed with caution.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I've been having a hard time getting inspired enough to truly write anything and I wanted to make sure I had enough of a story line before posting. I actually have this story mapped out (which, I know you don't know me but that deserves a hearty round of applause) so I expect that I'll really and truly be able to keep up with this. Thank you so much for clicking and I hope you like it! It's probably a little rough at first, but I'm trying to knock my rust off to get back into writing for realsies. Anyway, thank you again for checking this out.
> 
> Update! This story has been beta'd by the lovely [My-Sun-My-Baelish](https://my-sun-my-baelish.tumblr.com/) She's on ao3 as Myx! You should totally check her out!

I’d known Rick since I was a little girl. He very rarely paid me any mind, but I would see him stalk over to the refrigerator to grab a beer out and I couldn’t help but watch him intently. I had always been fascinated by him. The way his hair looked, how he knew so many multiple syllable words… I was infatuated. I was also 12 at the time and Rick was my best friend’s father. I was barely old enough to understand the feelings I had for the much older man. As I got older, I wrote it off as being awestruck. It happened to a lot of my friends, Beth even had a crush on our 7th-grade math teacher. Nothing ever came of it; it was nothing more than a crush.

Calling it a crush didn’t, however, explain the soul-crushing heartbreak that I experienced when he left. I tried to be supportive of Beth; I told myself I was as sad as I was because I could see it hurting my best friend, but my whole entire world had come crashing down. Summer had just been born and one day, he was just gone. I knew Beth blamed herself for “ruining” everything by resigning to have Summer. Whatever awestruck, schoolgirl crush I had brewing for him all but evaporated in the months after that and I went years with only rare moments of reminiscing with Beth that I would even think of her father. Her mother disappeared not long after Rick, having told Beth she needed to find Rick and bring him home.

She never came back either.

Beth, Jerry, and I actively raised Summer during her youngest years. Beth was adamant about making it through veterinary school and while I did work nights, I was there during the days and my nights off helping Jerry take care of the small human he and my friend created. Once Beth graduated, it was my turn to do something with my life. More than likely inspired by repressed memories of the man that left us, I found myself interested in mixing chemicals and making fantastic creations with them. As I hadn’t had time to go get a bachelors and a couple of PhDs, I settled for beauty school. It was minuscule in comparison to some of the things I’d seen Rick be capable of, but it satiated  that need I had to emulate things I’d seen him do. 

You might be wondering right now, why I was so inspired by my best friend’s dad, as opposed to say, my own family. To put it bluntly, they weren’t the greatest kind of people. My father was abusive and my mother did little to stop this. My only reprieve was they were ecstatic to have me out of the house for days at a time. Beth’s mom seemed to understand this and maybe even see past the paper-thin lies I’d feed her about why I didn’t want to go home. They welcomed me graciously into their home, allowing me to stay as long as I needed, no questions asked. In one act of begrudging kindness, Rick relocated his work out into the garage. He mumbled something about how it’d probably be safer to have it outside of the main structure of the house, but I could see the sadness and pity in his eyes whenever he looked at me. Beth’s mom found some furniture and before I even knew it, I had a room in my best friend’s house that was completely my own. No one to come barging in unexpectedly screaming about a minor inconvenience that didn’t even involve me. I would go weeks without going “home”. My ‘parents’ barely even noticed. In the weeks leading up to me turning eighteen, I slowly started moving things that had sentimental value to Beth’s place, my new home, and on my eighteenth birthday, I said goodbye and never looked back. 

Jumping forward again, shortly after I graduated from beauty school, I met a man named Ryan Dawes. He was five years older than me and a lawyer. He was kind to me and he always knew what he wanted and I was the object of his affection. I fell hard and fast and before I knew it, we were planning baby showers and a small intimate wedding. Jerry loved Ryan but Beth had always been apprehensive of him. I ignored it, telling myself she was just jealous that she wouldn’t have me at her beck and call all the time. I never came out and said this to her, but it was a thought that tickled my subconscious and caused a rift between the two of us for the longest time. Still, Ryan helped me buy the house to the left of Beth’s, cementing us central figures in each other’s lives. My daughter Madison was born and I was overjoyed. I loved her little face so much and I treasured every moment with her.

Shortly after she was born, my life seemed to be slipping out of my hands. I was suffering from a particularly nasty bout of postpartum depression and it was driving me away from my family. That was the first time Ryan ever got violent with me. I had dragged Beth out for a night of binge drinking when Madison was 3. I wanted to relive the better years of my life when we didn’t have so many looming responsibilities and we were young and free. When I came home completely plastered, Ryan was livid. He berated me for leaving him home alone with Madison while I was off galavanting with God knows who. I tried to tell him that I was just out with Beth and something about my tone warranted a heavy-handed backhand that knocked me to the ground. He began blaming me for making him do that because sometimes I just made him so mad. I apologized profusely at the time, telling him I would fix everything if he’d still have me. Looking back now, I’m disgusted with myself for valuing myself so lowly but I was in a very dark place. He promised he’d never do it again, finally apologizing after hours of listening to me sobbing.. 

He lied.

The next thirteen years of my life were a personal hell. As I’ve stated, he lied, and he lied hard. We kept up appearances in the neighborhood and for Beth and Jerry but at home, privately, he became a monster. Everything was my fault. I was the reason his meetings with clients would go awry. I would have made some passive aggression that he would carry through the day and wouldn’t be able to focus. He would push me around, knocking me into furniture and leaving me to cry for hours wondering how I’d left my life get this bad. I couldn’t talk to Beth about it, she was having her own marital strife with Jerry. She didn’t need my drama. I’d been here before though, except then I had the option of just disappearing. Ryan always needed to know where I was at all hours of the day. 

One afternoon, during a particularly nasty fight, Beth knocked on the door, a hurried version of her identifying knock we’d made up as kids. Ryan relented, recognizing it was a neighbor who didn’t need to see our personal issues gesturing aggressively to the door and I hurried over to answer it. I was shocked to see a teary-eyed Beth smiling widely at me.

“He’s home. Dad came home” was all she said before grabbing my hand and dragging me to her house. I turned apologetically to Ryan, knowing that I would have to pay for this transgression later. I couldn’t believe my eyes when we came around the side of her garage. There he stood, looking disgruntled as ever.

Rick.

“Oh hey Nova,” he greeted me with the childhood nickname that had taken precedence over my legal name. I could feel tears welling up in my own eyes and I fought every urge I had to wrap my arms around the tall, lanky man standing in the driveway with me. My urge was quelled as I saw Ryan pop around the garage to investigate my disappearance. 

“Honey…. Who’s this?” he asked evenly, looking Rick up and down. I quickly explained to him who he was and his smile relaxed as though any line of threat had been extinguished. He shook his hand sharply, Rick eyeing the man up and down as he introduced himself. His eyes flicked back to me and I could have sworn I saw a flicker of concern in his pale, tired eyes.

That night as I lay in bed, I couldn’t help but think about Rick. I was still completely and utterly shocked that he had returned. He barely looked any different than the day he left though. I would soon come to discover that this was a result of his interdimensional traveling. There were unlimited possibilities open to him and he would later explain his absence with them. It also would explain how a seventy-year-old man could look like he was barely passed his thirties. “Alien technology” was the only explanation that I got for that, but it made my heart rush. Regardless of whatever schoolgirl crush, I’d had on the man, that was gone out of the window, replaced instead by a legitimate lust.


	2. Second Chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're looking to spend time with Rick and he is seemingly avoiding you. Pretty rude broh. Oh and shitty husband does shitty things so be warned.

Life seemed to calm back down after Rick’s return. Ryan seemed to buy the fact that Rick was no real threat to our lives together and if I’m honest, I was starting to believe it as well. When he first returned, I would dream about him swooping in, saving me from my horrid life but he all but ignored me after I saw him. Regardless, I was constantly trying to find “reasons” to pop by Beth’s house, hoping to get a real chance to talk to him but to no avail. 

Today, I was stopping by to ask Beth her opinion on a set of curtains for the family room but I was barely paying any attention to her as I watched the hallway to the garage, hoping Rick would pop out at any minute. Madison had joined me, but she and Summer quickly disappeared up to Summer’s room.

“These would accent your couches nicely,” Beth remarked, pointing to a particular set in the catalog. I glanced down halfheartedly to see a soft white set of curtains that, admittedly would look amazing but all I could do was shrug. “You okay Nova? You’re awfully distracted,” Beth asked, eyeing me carefully.

“I’m all here, I was just thinking about a new rug as well,” I lied casually, grabbing the book to flip to the section with rugs. Beth watched me intently as I hunted for the right section, but as I started voicing my opinions on the different patterns, she seemed to let the thought go. Once I lulled her back into a sense of complacency, I went back to watching the hallway, listening for any kind of movement. To say I was getting borderline obsessed with the thought of seeing him would be a little too on the nose.

Finally, as a brief reprieve, I saw the door swing open and heard Rick’s voice berating Morty. I tried to neutralize my facial expression to one of casual surprise, but judging by the smirk he wore when saw me staring up at him, it was still one of utter awe and happiness. 

“Hey there Nova, I’m happy — it’s good to see you,” he said, his gruff voice giving me butterflies. I tried to ignore that it was music to my ears but I couldn’t hide the blush creeping onto my cheeks.

“Hey, Rick. How’ve you been lately?” my voice trembled with nerves as I spoke. I was trying to watch his face carefully while simultaneously trying to mind my own facial expressions. I received a shrug in response as he gestured around the house.

“I’m living the life here with my baby g-uuurrrp-irl,” he smiled at Beth who couldn’t stop herself from beaming at her father. “How’re you doing? Beth told me you’re a beautician or somethin’?” he asked lightly, peeking over his shoulder to look down the hallway to the garage. I started to answer but his eyes went wide and he started shouting for Morty. Beth and I exchanged glances as we watched him disappear down the hallway, both of us climbing out of our chairs to hurry after him. Morty appeared between us, a look of terror plastered over his features as he scurried past us and disappeared into the garage. When Beth’s hand tried to wiggle the doorknob, she looked up in dismay as she realized it was locked. Her dismay turned into irritation as she started banging on the door.

“Dad, what’s going on in there!? Are you okay? Is Morty okay?” she yelled as she rapped her fist against the door.

“Sweetie, I need you to take Nova and go back into the kitchen. It is not a good idea for you to be banging on that door right now,” Rick shouted, his voice laced with irritation and it was then that I realized there was more noise than just Beth’s fists against the door. At her father’s words, she stopped abruptly, looking to me for input. I couldn’t help but mimic her father’s shrug at her as we both returned to stare at the wooden door.

“Is Morty okay?” I squeaked, surprised at the sound. I heard a groan from the other side of the door.

“Nova, you and Beth go look at curtains some more,” he urged angrily. “This is a rather delicate procedure and I’ll be honest sweetie, you’re distracting me.” I couldn’t help but take it to a personal place as my heartbeat thudded with pride that I could even be a distraction to the great Rick Sanchez. If I was honest with myself, I was just desperate for his attention. I looked to Beth, extending my hand to her to lead her back into the kitchen. 

She hesitated a moment, looking the door over once more. “Morty, can you just tell me you’re okay?” she asked, a maternal pleading in her voice.

“I’m okay Mom, Rick and I will be done soon,” he assured her, a confidence in his voice that didn’t reflect his earlier disposition in the slightest. Beth finally relented and allowed me to lead her back out into the kitchen. The catalog of home furnishings laid on the counter completely ignored as we watched the hallway, waiting.

A sharp knock on the front door broke us from our reverie. The noise from the garage had ceased but Rick and Morty hadn’t emerged yet. Beth quickly got up to answer the door, calling me with a groan when she pulled the door opened. It was her not so subtle way to try to prepare me for the fact that my husband had come looking for me. I sighed deeply, resigning myself to slapping a big smile over my face as I went to greet him.

“Hi, honey,” I said with a broad smile, kissing him quickly on the cheek. In the back of my mind, I could only think of how I’d hoped Rick wouldn’t see us right now. I shook my head at the thought, scoffing at how ridiculous it sounded. Like Rick would give a shit. Ryan gave a strained smile as he looked at me, his disapproval soaking in my skin.

“I got home and my wife and daughter had disappeared. What’s going on?” he asked, looking around curiously, daring me to reveal whatever transgression I was committing that would inconvenience him like this.

“I brought Maddy over to hang out with Summer while Beth helped me pick out curtains for the family room,” I told him truthfully, hoping it would keep me on his good side, at least for a little while.

“I just got home, and I was expecting dinner. I’m famished,” he said with a forced smile. Rick and Morty reappeared from the garage and I could only imagine the sight they found. Superficially, Ryan was the husband of the year. I was always provided for and taken care of. My job to him was more along the lines of a paid hobby that barely registered on his radar. That meant when I wasn’t working, it was expected for me have dinner waiting for him when he pulled up in the driveway. The seldom few times it wasn’t prepared, there had been hell to pay and I knew I was in trouble. Rick was watching Ryan and me closely, immediate distrust building on his face. 

“Nova was going to make dinner, but I suggested we go out as a family for dinner,” he said, throwing me the life preserver I so desperately needed. “We were just waiting for you to get home. We haven’t gotten the chance to catch up much since I’ve been back.”

“Rick I thought-” Morty started before Rick subtly stepped on his foot, effectively silencing the boy with a whimper. Ryan’s eyes narrowed, obviously not buying it for a second before breaking out into a huge smile. 

“That sounds great Rick,” he said, his agreeable tone only known to me to be as fake as they come. “I’ll run home and get changed, where did you have in mind?” He asked innocently, piquing an eyebrow at the blue-haired man. I don’t know who he thought he was trying to trick into playing his hand, but it was gonna take a lot more than that to catch Rick in a lie. 

“Shoney’s,” Rick replied with a casual shrug. Ryan smiled again and nodded, chuckling softly before disappearing out of the front door to go change out of his suit. As the door closed behind him, I felt a huge sigh of relief and returned to my cold cup of coffee in the kitchen. Rick followed me, surprisingly silent in his observation. He seemed to be surveying my features carefully, trying to find a crack in my facade of a happy housewife.

“Need something, Rick?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at the man across the counter from me. “I have to go get Madison and tell her we’re going to Shoney’s for dinner.” I sighed, “Shoney’s by the way? I didn’t even think they still had those around here.”

“Beth, can you get the girls real quick?” Rick asked his daughter gruffly. She nodded obediently and disappeared up the stairs to Summer’s room. He continued to look me over intently, so much so that I was starting to get uncomfortable until he finally spoke. “Nova, are you okay?” He asked, his voice surprisingly gentle.

“I’m fine, Rick,” I sighed, too tired to put in any of the effort required for such a heavy conversation. It was always the same questions. ‘Are you okay?’ ‘Does he hurt you?’ ‘Do you need help?’ It was always the same questions, with almost always the same answers. My eyes pleaded with him to drop the subject for the time being. It had the intended effect as his gaze broke from mine and he stalked off to the garage without another word.

* * *

Dinner was uneventful for the most part. Rick regaled us with tales of his adventures with his portal gun through time and space. I caught him up on my life, how I’d be ‘happily’ married for over ten years and worked part-time at a salon. Had my overly jealous husband not been standing there watching over me at every second, I would’ve told Rick it had been watching over him mixing chemicals that had inspired me to do so, but a story for another time. The evening was unceremoniously ended when Jerry started talking about his advertising campaign at work and Rick cut him off to tell everyone how late it had gotten. 

Rick had continued to watch Ryan for the whole night, and the growing look of disgust on his face told me very simply that he didn’t approve in the slightest. By the end of the night, he just looked irritated and when offering goodbyes, planted a gentle kiss on my forehead, my cheeks flushing. I’d never been so thankful for the inky darkness of the night. Madison begged for us to let her stay the night with Summer, and with a glance to Beth, I nodded and the girls squealed in excitement. In the parking lot, we finally separated, Beth, Jerry and the kids piling in the station wagon and Rick climbing into what looked like a pile of garbage made to look like a stereotypical UFO. I raised my eyebrow in disbelief at him.

“What in the hell is that?” I asked incredulously. He turned the key and I was surprised to hear an engine turn over from within.

“It’s my spaceship,” Rick shrugged. “I made it out of crap from the garage.” He observed my gaping expression. I couldn’t stop staring at the headlights made from two flashlights. I was torn between how innovative that truly was and wondering how in the hell he made it work,

“That’s incredible Rick,” I said breathlessly. I looked up at him mouth still agape, he looked down at me, prideful.

“Glad you like it, kiddo. I’ll have to take you for a spin in it some time,” he suggested as a smile formed on his face. I had to ignore the images that floated through my brain at the thought, each one more vulgar than the last. I tried to keep my face as neutral as possible once I saw Ryan beginning to grow irritated with the conversation. 

“Sweetheart,” he started, his anger leaking into his tone, “we have to get home. It’s already 8:45pm and some of us have very important meetings tomorrow morning.” He smiled shortly at Rick before grabbing me by the arm. I resisted the urge to yelp in pain, as he forced me over to the car. He released me by the passenger side door, leaving me to open the door and climb in. I smiled sadly at Rick and waved goodbye as he watched me, his face completely neutral. The ride home was silent despite a seething rage that was  building in the driver's seat. I just wanted to go home, crawl into bed, and avoid him, but when the car pulled into the garage and he didn’t immediately climb out, I knew this fight would start in the car.

“Are you trying to embarrass me?” he asked tone icy and calm. No matter how many times he used that tone on me, it always terrified me. “I don’t want you hanging around that Rick, (Y/N),” he scolded me.

“I haven’t been hanging around him, he’s Beth’s dad. He lives in her house,” I assured him.

“Then I guess you won’t be hanging around Beth’s anymore,” he shrugged coldly, opening the car door, seemingly happy with the outcome of our talk.

“Beth is my best friend!” I cried out, begging him to see reason.

“Look, I’ve tolerated Beth for this long because she’s our neighbor but she has always been rude to me and you just let her. You’re letting her ruin our marriage,” he spat.

“I’m sorry, please don’t take Beth from me,” I sobbed, completely falling apart. “W-what about Madi? She and Summer are close,” I pleaded. He paused for a moment, considering.

“Madi is free to see Summer. I’ll be fielding all interactions. You’re not to go over there without me,” he conceded. “You’ve done this to yourself. You will respect me and you will respect our marriage.” My sniffles subsided, happy to at least be able to still see my best friend even with his restrictions. I climbed out of the car to follow him inside, wiping my tears away and trying to steady my breathing.

“Psst.”

I whipped my head around, looking for the source of the sound, seeing nothing but stopping to listen for it again. Ryan paid no attention to me, going inside.

“Psssst.” The noise came again, seemingly from the small bush from the corner of the house. I walked over to investigate only to find Morty hiding in the bushes.

“What are you doing Morty?” I whispered, smiling through the dried tears on my cheeks.

“Aw, jeez, I just wanted to make sure you were okay,” he admitted sheepishly. “I heard Mr. Dawes yelling at you. You shouldn’t put up with that you know.” He said sadly. “Did he say you’re not allowed at our house anymore?”

“It’s complicated Morty.” I sighed. “It’s something adults have to deal with sometimes, buddy. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

“I understand it well enough right now,” he asserted stubbornly, “My grandpa explained it to me.” 

“What?” I hissed as confusion and embarrassing distorted my face. “What did he tell you?”

“He basically said he’s got you trapped in your marriage and he treats you like shit because he knows you won’t go anywhere because you have low self-esteem after what happened with your parents,” he said plainly. A look of horror crossed my face as he spoke, I wanted to be angry for being called out but instead, tears start falling down my cheeks, as Morty rested his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay Aunt Nova. Rick said-”

“Look FUCK what Rick said,” I growled, anger finally seeping into my tone. “Rick left, he doesn’t know shit about me anymore. You tell him to keep his mouth shut about me and my marriage.”

“(Y/N), what the fuck are you doing? Get in here!” Ryan called from the front door, freezing me in my place.

“Look, Morty, go home. I’m fine,” I told him coldly, my heartbreaking as I watched his face fall as he remains rooted to the spot. “Morty, go the fuck home,” I hissed, trying to keep my tone as venomous as possible to not betray how much yelling at him was killing me. He narrowed his eyes but finally slipped from behind the bush, running to his backyard. I steadied myself, trying to prepare myself for my “loving husband’s” wrath.

“Seriously (Y/N), get your stupid ass in here,” he called from the porch again, almost looking angrier when he finally spotted me. He eyed the area I emerged from suspiciously as I walked up to the porch. “What the fuck were you doing?”

“I thought I heard an animal in the bushes,” I lied easily. “I didn’t want them to eat the roses we planted.” The appearance of the house was something he took very seriously, so it was no surprise when his suspicious look softened.

“Just get in the house,” he said coldly, pushing me through the threshold and flat on my face. I pick myself gingerly off the floor, opting not to look up at him as I did so. “You’re acting strange (Y/N). I don’t like it and I want it to stop,” he ordered. “Get upstairs and get ready for bed. I’ll be up in a minute.” I quickly made my way up the stairs, listening closely to hear the glass from his liquor cabinet clinking around. Great, he’ll be drunk by the time he comes up.

I took a deep breath, going into our bedroom to gather clothes for a shower, hoping he’d be asleep by the time I was done. I let the water fall around me, finally letting myself cry under the cascade. I knew Morty was right, but what good could that information do me? Just because Rick “understood” all the nuances of my marriage from one outing, doesn’t mean he knew how to fix it. I couldn’t leave, Ryan would find me and kill me. He had assured me of it.

Climbing out of the warm shower, the cool air of the rest of the bathroom swirled around me. I wiped the mirror clear, taking a moment to look at the bruise forming on my chin from where it came in contact with the floor. I sighed, moving to dry my hair completely before putting on my pajamas. I went back to the bedroom, finding my husband sitting facing away from me on the bed, holding a crystal glass in his hands, studying the brown liquid within intently. I approached him carefully, trying to gauge his level of intoxication.

“You know what I would do to you if you ever tried to leave right?” he asked coldly, keeping his gaze on the glass. “You’re mine, (Y/N). This house, this family, it’s all mine. You will never take that away from me.” I stood in silent terror as he spoke, trying to figure out how to handle the situation. “You think that Beth or Jerry or hell even Rick could protect you from me?” he asked, finally looking up at me. “You’re. Mine.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” I assured him, voice microscopic. “I love you-” A sharp blow to my cheek took my breath away and threw me to the ground.

“Don’t give me that shit. You married me for my money. That’s why you’re making eyes at that geriatric fuck. Do you think he would even want you? Fuck, I barely want you,” he spat at me from above. “I took vows though so I guess I’m stuck with you but I will be damned if you disrespect me the way you did tonight ever again.”

“I wasn’t disrespecting you-” I cried out as he picks me up off the floor and roughly threw me on the bed.

“The fuck you weren’t. Talking about how incredible his piece of shit ‘spaceship’ is.” Accusation dripped in every syllable. “Don’t think I saw the look of awe you had when he was telling us those stupid stories from his adventures. You realize it’s all a big ruse right? Or are you too stupid?”

“I don’t think so-” I countered, anger building despite myself earning me a shove into the dresser.

“Are you fucking kidding me? He left. Just like your parents did because you’re so hard to love. You told me all the stories about when you were kids, you really think it’s a coincidence that you moved into their house and suddenly he was gone?” he hissed at me as I picked myself up off the dresser, holding my arm against me and trying to fight the tears building.

“That had nothing to do with it,” I shot back at him. “He’d discovered his portal technology and started going on adventures.”

“Are you this fucking stupid (Y/N)?” he bellowed, looking at me incredulously. “You’re parents didn’t love you enough to even notice you moved out of your fucking house. You drive everyone around you away,” he screamed. “You are the worst kind of person. You act like this innocent little fucking victim and everyone should feel sorry for you but everything you get, you bring onto yourself.” He towered over me, shouting mere inches from my face. The floodgates broke and I slunk down against the wall, sobbing into my hands. He was angry, but he was right. My parents didn’t love me enough to notice I’d even left. Even his points about Rick stung after thinking about them long enough. There had truly only been one constant in my life, no matter what.

“Beth,” I croaked, “Beth has always loved me, no matter what.” An ugly snarl forms on his face, disgusted to even hear her name.

“Beth loves you because you’re constantly at her beck and call, no matter what. She needs something? You’re there like a damn puppy to take whatever you can off of her plate. It’s fucking pathetic,” he growled, squatting down next to me and grabbing my injured arm tightly causing me to wince in pain. “Now get off the fucking floor and get into bed. I don’t have time for this shit (Y/N). I have a meeting in the morning. I expect you to have breakfast ready before I leave so you need to go to sleep now,” he demanded, throwing me onto my side of the bed.

I laid there in terror as he moved around the bed and climbed under his blankets. I laid completely still, waiting until he started snoring to slip into the bathroom and clean myself up. Flicking on the light, I was greeted with a grisly sight, dried blood caked under my nose and a shiner developing under my eye. I wanted to cry at the sight of myself, but I couldn’t find any more tears to shed. Methodically I started gently wiping the blood off of my face and adjusting my arm to see if it was legitimately damaged or just sore. For now, it seemed like the latter, but I knew I would have to go easy on it if I wanted it to return to normal soon. I started applying makeup, anything to delay myself having to go back out there and lay in that bed next to him, convincing myself that if I start with the concealer now, it will be easy to just touch it up in the morning. When I had finally run out of things to distract myself, I sighed deeply to myself, preparing myself to reenter the bedroom. I gingerly climbed into the bed we shared, holding my breath so as not to disturb him and face his wrath again.


	3. Snap Out Of It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick does Rick things to try to curb Ryan. And then he takes you somewhere pretty damn neat. I'm terrible at summaries and that will never change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working on trying to find the right voice for Rick, so if you had any advice or feedback, I would appreciate it so so so much. Anyway, thanks for reading. 💜

I had only been asleep for an hour or two when my alarm went off. I climbed back out of bed, dressing quickly and touching my makeup up before heading downstairs to start breakfast. The little bit of sleep I had managed seemed to take the edge off of the pain in my arm but I popped a couple of ibuprofen for good measure. After every fight, I’d grown accustomed to serving up chocolate chip waffles and eggs, Ryan’s favorite meal, trying to win his favor back. I started my usual routine, mixing the batter and cracking the eggs but this time felt different. I wasn’t making him breakfast because I wanted to stop the fight and “make it up” to him, he had expected it. Like it was a reward for beating the tar out of me. Right as I was plating his waffles, he nuzzled in behind me, murmuring good morning in my ear before eyeing the plate in my hand hungrily. 

“Smells great babe,” he said with a self-satisfied smile, heading to the front door to grab the newspaper to read over with his breakfast. By the time he returned to the dining room, his spot at the table was filled with his plate of food, a glass of no pulp orange juice and a piping hot cup of coffee and he smiled at me, causing my skin to crawl. I quickly excused myself back into the kitchen to grab my breakfast, a small bowl of yogurt adorned with berries and a cup of coffee. I dawdled a moment, trying to avoid having to be in the same room with him for as long as possible before he called for me. “Hey, are you going to be joining me?” he asked sweetly, though I could hear the undercurrent of annoyance in his tone. I scurried back in with my bowl, apologizing and we sat down to a silent breakfast. My phone’s ringtone for Madison broke the silence, earning me an irritated glare as I quickly extracted the device from my pocket to read the message.

“Madison was just letting me know she made it to school okay,” I told him, returning my phone to my pocket.

“Tell her to come straight home after school today,” he ordered. I obliged, quickly typing out his demands. I nodded as the message sent and he returned to his breakfast. The silence returned until his alarm on his phone started to blare, telling him it was time to leave for work. He stood up quickly, briefly kissing my cheek before heading to the front door and disappearing on the other side of it. Once the door shut behind him, I finally was able to breathe a sigh of relief, tears streaming down my cheeks once my composure had been dropped. I gathered the dishes, listening intently for his car to start and speed down the road, signaling that he was well and truly gone for the day. I had buried my face in my hands, trying to stifle my sobs when I heard a sound that I could only describe as utterly sci-fi. I looked up to see a tall, slender, blue-haired man standing in my kitchen wearing a look of concern on his face with his back to a green swirl that seemed to appear and then disappear out of nowhere.

“Rick?”

“H-hey Nova. I was waiting for Dipshit to leave so I could come over here and check on you- m-make sure you were o-okay. A-are you okay?” he asked, disguising his concern as disinterest. Once the surprise of suddenly seeing him wore off, I quickly reverted to my anger from last night and greeted him with a look of disdain.

“I’m fine Rick, you can leave,” I told him coldly, turning to continue cleaning the dishes from breakfast.

“Y-yeah, the cry-crying I walked in on is what every housewife does. It’s to*uuuuuurp*tally normal,” he said, rolling his eyes at me. He stowed a white device back in his jacket before approaching me, grabbing my chin to force me to look up at him. My heart raced for a moment, going back to those vulgar thoughts from the night before coming to my senses. It was like Ryan said, he didn’t want me and I had to be kidding myself to think he would.

“W-what are you doing?” I blushed, trying to pull away before he saw through my concealer.

“J-Jesus Christ Nova, what did he do to you?” he demanded. I moved away from him quickly, trying to catch my breath again and fight back the tears burning my eyes.

“Nothing, I told you I’m fine. I want you to leave Rick,” I told him coldly, turning my back on him completely.

“M-Morty told me he overheard that piece of shit telling you you weren’t allowed around the house anymore. D-don't tell me you’re going to let that dipshit control you like that,” he demanded.

“It’s not controlling. He just wants the best from me. I disrespected him last night,” I explained.

“Dis-Disrespected him how?” he scoffed. “You were the p-perfect li-little housewife last night.”

“He said I was paying too much attention to… you,” I admitted sheepishly. I watched his face move from confusion to realization and settle on smug pride.

“Oh, s-so he’s threatened by me?” he marveled darkly. “That’s just, that’s just excellent.”

“You would say that,” I said rolling my eyes and grabbing a towel to dry my hands. “I don’t understand why. You’re my best friend’s dad.” He raised an eyebrow but remained silent. A sly smirk tickled his cheeks as he all but stared at me as though the answer to that question was obvious. “What Rick?” I demanded, growing frustrated with him. 

“He’s c-clearly threatened by my animal mag*uuuurp*netism,” he gloated, wiggling his eyebrow at me. Despite myself, a watery chuckle slips out and his look of pride is replaced by relief. “N-Nova you need to leave, like get the fuck out of here now,” he urged, dropping all humorous pretense and looking me over seriously. I realized I had been unconsciously holding my wrist delicately and my attempts to play it off were too late to stop the realization dawning on his face. 

“It’s nothing Rick; I’m fine.” I tried to assure him, tucking my hand behind my back causing me to wince.

“I’m gonna kill him,” he murmured darkly, his eyes going wide as they darted around maniacally, avoiding my gaze.

“N-no, Rick, please,” I plead weakly moving closer to him. “It would kill Maddy.”

“Well that i-it going to kill you!” he exclaimed, moving closer to inspect my wrist. I winced at his touch, the area still incredibly tender. Embarrassment flushed in my cheeks, trying to figure out the quickest way out of this conversation. 

“O-oh so you’re back for less than a month and suddenly you’re so concerned with my wellbeing?” Venom laced in my tone, as I tried my hardest to resist tears. “You don’t get to leave and come back fifteen years later and suddenly decide how much of a shitshow my life is. New flash fuckwad, it’s kind of your fault I’m in such a fucked situation.” I knew I was lashing out, that I was just trying to hurt him but I couldn’t stop myself. The anger I’d been sitting on for all these years started pouring out.

“M-my fault?” he hissed. “How the fuck did you get there Nova?”

“You fucking left! You knew everything I’d been through with my fucking parents and you still fucking left!” I had to admit, it felt pretty good to finally confront him for what he’d put me through but I still couldn’t stop the wave of guilt I felt building, waiting for the perfect moment to drown me. “Your family accepted me and cared for me and I was dumb enough to think that when I was under your roof, I was finally loved. Silly fucking me.”

“Nova, you have  _ no  _ idea what the fuck you’re talking about,” he growled. 

“Oh what Rick? You just leave the ones you love all the time? That’s how you get your kicks? Maybe next time, before you come barging into my home telling me how much my life fucking sucks, maybe, just maybe, you think about your own part in making that happen,” I told him coldly. A tense silence filled the room as I watched him process my words, seemingly refusing to yell back, to even say anything. “Rick, get the fuck out of my house.”

“N-Nova, wait-“ He dismissed my demands, and I could feel the heat of my rage flush against my cheeks. 

“Get. Out.”

* * *

After Rick finally left, I grabbed a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, sunk against the countertop and sobbed. I lost track of time, and before I knew it, the wine was gone and I could hear Summer and Madison climbing out of Jerry’s car, saying their goodbyes before the front door swung open.

“Mom? I’m home,” she called out. I quickly picked myself up off the floor, tossing the bottle in the trash and stumbling over to the refrigerator to look for something to make for a snack.

“Hey honey, I’m in here,” I responded. “Are you hungry?” I could feel myself swaying where I stood, opting to just grab the plastic container of strawberries from the crisper and start slicing them. Madison plopped herself down at the kitchen table, pulling out her agenda to start on her homework.

“Oh my god, yes Mom I am starving,” she said gratefully. I slapped a smile on my face as I walked over to the table to deliver her bowl of strawberries looking over her shoulder to look at the homework she’d been assigned. It honestly looked like gibberish to me, but she seemed to be breezing through it quite easily. That was her father in her. Even though he was a complete monster, he wasn’t a dipshit as Rick called him. He could pick things up incredibly quickly and had the decency to pass that trait onto his daughter.

“So what is this? Math?” I asked hesitantly as she dug into her strawberries.

“It’s a scientific equation,” she explained at length the point of the equation which just left me to sit there and nod in response. Not only did it look like gibberish, but it also sounded like it too. I was watching her work for a while in silence when swearing erupted from next door. We exchanged glances briefly, her giggling in response. “Morty’s grandpa is funny,” she snickered.

“Oh really?” I raised an eyebrow in response. 

“He asks a lot of questions about you and Dad though. I don’t think he likes Dad.” Her face flushed with embarrassment as she quickly looked to the door, relieved that he wasn’t about to jump from the other side.

“What’s not to like?” I remarked absently, standing up to peer out of the window to investigate the source of the swearing. Rick was berating Morty for messing something up, and rage swelled in my gut. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was flinging the front door open to go confront the crotchety old man abusing my godson.

“The fuck- the hell do you think you’re doing Mor*uuuurp*ty? Can’t you do one fucking- anything right?” Rick was shouting as I approached the garage. Pausing to take the scene in fully before bursting in, I sussed out that Rick was working on some new invention and Morty was supposed to be holding something steady while he worked. A childlike fascination overtook me and I resigned to pressing myself against the outer wall of the garage, opting to listen in closely. “Look M-Morty, I just want to make sure your Aunt Nova is safe- is okay, just keep the damn thing still. Do it- do it for her.” He sounded frustrated, but also a little desperate.

“Aw jeez, Rick, Aunt Nova- Aunt Nova’s strong. She’s been with Mr. Dawes for a long time now, I think she’s used to it.” I heard the sound of metal on metal as Rick slammed whatever took he was holding in his hand down onto the metal work table. 

“And w-what? That makes it okay- that makes it acceptable?” Rick seethed with anger. “I-I don’t understand why I-I’m not allowed to just kill him, but your mom said that’s strictly off the table so the next best thing is this m-mental dampener. But look, Morty, it’ll nest itself in his brain, Morty a-and it’ll neutralize his angry thoughts towards Nova, Morty. I-I-It won’t work forever but maybe we can talk some sense into her, g-get her away from him-“

“You know Rick, I don’t understand why you suddenly care so much,” Morty said angrily. “F-f-first you were avoiding her and now all of a sudden you-you're concerned for her safety?”

“Yeah, well, I care Morty. I’m not going to try to explain it to you b-because I just do,” Rick blew him off and the sounds of welding started up again, seemingly without Morty’s assistance. 

“And wh-what’s in this for you?” Morty asked scathingly, and I was surprised to hear such anger coming from the timid boy. “A-a-are you trying to sleep with Aunt Nova? That’s sick, Rick. That’s fucked up, even for you.” Morty accused his grandfather. 

“W-what? No! Even if she were  _ interested  _ in that, that would be n-none of your business, Mor-uuuurrrp-ty.” I was frozen in shock against the side of the garage, trying to ignore the part of me that was hoping Morty would press his grandfather for more. 

“Oh gross, you’re into Aunt Nova? Wasn’t she like, a second daughter to you?” Morty sounded horrified and I could feel my cheeks burn.

“She was Beth’s friend in high school. T-that’s all she was- is to me,” Rick tried rationalizing to his grandson. “She’s a b-beautiful girl, but that’s not why I’m trying to help her. Is it so hard to believe- so hard to comprehend that I’m  _ not  _ the biggest fan of domestic abuse?” It was Rick’s turn to equip a scathing tone, albeit it sounded a lot angrier and more vicious than his grandson’s.

“I just know you don’t do stuff without there being a benefit for you.” Morty’s voice was growing closer and I knew if I stayed here, I would be found out. My only option was to head toward the back of my house where their voices were too faint for me to hear. I quietly opened the gate to the back yard, slipping around it and closing it as silently as I could behind me.

“What’s going on out there?” Madison asked when I finally made it back in the kitchen.

“I think Rick and Morty were arguing over something,” I dismissed, omitting the topic of their argument because I truly didn’t know how I felt about it, and I certainly didn’t know how to explain it to her. 

“Did you talk to them when you went outside?” She asked, closing her textbook and storing it back in her backpack. 

“I didn’t want to get in the middle of it,” I told her, lost in my head trying to process everything that had happened today. “I’m gonna start dinner soon. What are you in the mood for?”

“Ooh, can we have spaghetti and meatballs? With garlic bread?” She asked eagerly. I looked over to the clock, knowing I’d have to make a quick trip to the store but since Ryan wouldn’t be home for another hour and a half, I nodded quickly. 

“You wanna go to the grocery store? If you can be quick you can bring Summer too,” I offered. She practically squealed with joy at the suggestion, finishing cleaning up her homework before running over to Smith’s house to fetch her best friend. I followed her out the front door, locking it behind me as I made my way out to the car. I was only in the car for a moment before the girls had re-emerged, followed by Rick who stood in the doorway watching us regretfully as I backed out of the driveway, turning up the radio to drown out the sounds of endless teenage girl chatter and hopefully my own thoughts. 

* * *

When we returned home with grocery bags in tow, Madison and Summer disappeared up to Madison’s room, leaving me alone in the kitchen to start dinner. I put on my favorite playlist and filled a pot with water and started the meatballs. I fell into an easy routine, breaking noodles into the pot when it came to a boil. It was barely enough of a distraction to keep my mind off of Rick though and in idle moments, I found myself zoned out and staring at the wall trying to even begin to process it. I was concluding that I wouldn't be able to, not without a high price therapist. 

I was moving everything out to the dining room when I heard Ryan pull up, quietly proud of my timing. I called upstairs for the girls, asking if Summer would be staying for dinner and receiving an “Uh, duh!” in response. My body tensed at the sound of the front door opening and closing, my husband groaning as he took off his suit jacket and stored his briefcase in the closet. For a moment, I couldn’t believe this was my life, it all felt… wrong. Nonetheless, I moved to greet Ryan with the usual peck on the cheek and smile and called the girls down for dinner, earning a distrustful eye as Madison and Summer galloped down the stairs to take their place at the table. We discussed our days, leaving me to lie about mine as I couldn’t tell my husband I had spent the morning  _ and  _ afternoon drunk on kitchen wine in the kitchen after I’d gotten into a heated argument with my best friends dad about the years of psychological damage he’d inflicted. I allowed myself to slip into a quiet contemplation about the conversation I’d overheard in the Smith‘s garage, taking a knock at trying to figure out how I actually felt about it, as Madison and Summer told Ryan about their days. A sudden knock on the door broke me from my reverie and Madison excused herself to answer it. 

“Summer!” she called from the hallway. “Your Grandpa is here.” She reappeared in the doorway with a surprisingly calm and collected Rick in tow, although that didn’t save me from the distrustful look Ryan was watching me with from across the table.

“Ah, Rick,” I greeted him casually, using a napkin to clear my face. “Were you here to collect Summer?” I asked politely, standing to greet him properly. Ryan’s eyes bored into the side of my head, but I knew as long as non-family members were present, I was safe from his ire. When he shook his head quickly, I raised an eyebrow, acting confused but he tore his gaze off of me to look over at Ryan. 

“Hey, Ryan. I just wanted to come over to apologize for last night if I did anything to upset you. Beth was upset that Nova wouldn’t be coming around anymore and she demanded I come over and apologize.” Rick’s tone appeared to be perfectly apologetic, but I knew it wouldn’t be that easy. I knew why he was here and I was stunned at how long it took me to come to the realization. The dampener. 

“I - well - how’d you know that?” Ryan stumbled and I silently motioned at the girls to return to Madison’s room. Rick smiled widely, a hint of a manic hysteria lurking in his smile. He rested his hand on Ryan’s back holding out his hand to make peace although not answering his question. 

“I just wanted to make sure that any disagreements or perceived disrespect between the two of us wouldn’t stand in the way of my daughter’s happiness,” he said coolly, disregarding Ryan’s question, opting instead to check out the spread for dinner. To my quiet surprise, Ryan didn’t respond and when I looked over at him, he smiled serenely at me. 

“Of course not Rick, I think I overreacted,” he admitted genuinely, much to my surprise. “I misinterpreted the situation.”

“That’s great Ryan, I’m glad we got to have this talk and clear the air,” Rick smiled at Ryan, lacking the genuine nature Ryan had.

“Would you like to stay for dinner, Rick? (Y/N) made spaghetti,” he offered, standing up and shaking Rick’s hand as if they’d been friends for years.

“You know, I’d love to,” Rick said, moving around the table to take up the seat right next to me. Realizing I was still standing, I sat back down, my eyes flicking between the two men sharing the table with me. Still stunned at my newly docile husband, I couldn’t bring myself to react or even look at Rick as he moved his chair closer to me under the guise of going for some noodles.

“(Y/N), you should serve our guest,” Ryan reprimanded me but his usual disdain was absent from his voice, replaced instead by a gentle urging. I quickly shook my head to come back to reality as I quickly stood up to start ladling food onto Rick’s plate. I stole a glance up at Rick, who gave me a small eye roll before returning to watch Ryan intently. I slid the Parmesan cheese over next to him, returning to my seat and quiet disbelief.

Rick and Ryan chatted amicably over dinner, allowing me to disappear into my head while the two talked about Ryan’s job, or more accurately, while Ryan talked about his job and Rick put on a very convincing listening face. When dinner finally wrapped up, Ryan adjourned to his office, surprisingly leaving me with Rick as I cleaned up the dishes. Once Ryan was occupied in the other room, Rick’s casual demeanor was dropped and he quickly grabbed the dishes out of my hand, opting to carry them into the kitchen himself, mumbling something about making my sprained wrist worse. 

“What did you do to Ryan?” I asked cautiously as I followed him into my kitchen, keeping my voice as low as possible. I watched him load the dishwasher, trying to ignore how bizarre just… everything was becoming. 

“Hmm?” Rick asked, peeking around the corner, keeping an eye out for Ryan himself. 

“You did something to Ryan,” I told him flatly. “He’s being docile. He left me  _ alone  _ with you.”

“I-I’m not going to do anything to you,” he said, his eyes narrowed up at me before opening the cabinet next to the sink, looking for dishwasher soap. “And now, neither will he,” he added darkly.

“You didn’t answer my question, Rick.” My patience was wearing thin but he continued to ignore me as he busied himself with gathering more dishes from the dining room. Running my hand through my hair, I could feel panic starting to set in. Sure, I knew what he’d done on a surface level, but I also knew that this would be way too easy of a fix. 

“Tell me what you did, Rick,” I demanded again, my tone threatening the established volume limit of our conversation.

“I just made him… nicer,” he said, frustrated as he shut the dishwasher and finally looked at me. “You and Beth seem to think that he should be allowed to keep living and while I fervently disagree, I had to go with the next best option.” I had no idea how to respond and I could feel him searching my face for any kind of reaction before continuing. “Y-you don't mind if he's dim, right? I-I'm not quite sure how much this is actually going to affect him. It’s only been used on sentient slugs. Th-this is more of an inaugural test on humans.”

“So what happens now?” I asked him, my voice trembling as I rubbed my face in my hands.

“W-well, I guess I just wanted to make sure you wouldn’t - that Beth wouldn’t lose her best friend,” he scratched the back of his neck with a shrug before turning away. “She seemed pretty pissed about it, so I figured I should fix it for her.” 

“Hmm, is that so?” I asked, still suspicious of his motives.

“Well, I mean yeah. I’m living under her roof. Pissing her off- making her mad doesn’t exactly work out well for me.” 

_ “I just know you don’t do stuff without there being a benefit for you.”  _ Morty’s accusation echoed in my mind, but it was pushed away when Rick’s face lit up with an idea.

“You wanna go for a ride? I told you I’d take you out on my ship,” he asked eagerly.

“Oh yeah, Ryan would love that,” I replied, my eyes narrowed at him. He brushed me off with a wave of his hand and left the kitchen. I followed him to Ryan’s office, where he held a finger up, signaling me to wait here.

“Hey, do you mind if I steal Nova- (Y/N) for a little bit?” It was weird to hear my real name coming from Rick and to think back, I don’t think he’d ever called me by it. 

“Sure,” my husband said in a pleasant tone that I had been pretty sure he was completely incapable of. “Where are you guys going?”

“I, uh, I was just gonna take her over to see Beth. Shouldn’t be too long, I won’t have her out too late,” he lied smoothly, and I swore I could  _ hear  _ him winking.

“Oh, okay, cool,” Ryan replied genially. “I’ll see you around, Rick.” Rick returned, pulling me gently by my arm, heading directly to his ship.

* * *

As we climbed in the ship, Morty appeared at the doorway to the garage. He eyed Rick suspiciously as he approached the driver's side door.

“Where, uh, where are you taking Aunt Nova, Rick?” he asked angrily and I could feel myself blush at the memory of their earlier conversation. He looked at me remorsefully, and I had to quickly avert my gaze, biting my lip to resist the urge to giggle anxiously as the young kid watched me nervously. "A-Aunt Nova? Are you okay?"

"I'm great, Morty," I assured him, although the words came out strangled. My nerves were in overdrive, partially at the thought of going up even twenty feet in this enormous potential death trap and partially at the realization that I was going to be alone with Rick.

"See-see Morty, she's fine. I-I-I'm not going to do any-anything to her,” he spat at his grandson, offended. 

"Rick, don't be mean to Morty, he's a good kid," I reprimanded him, earning myself a raised eyebrow but no retaliation, something I didn't even realize I was expecting until the opportunity passed and I relaxed slightly.

"We'll be back soon Morty. She just wanted to see the ship," Rick told Morty plainly, turning the engine over. Morty's suspicion seemed to not be subsiding but he said nothing as the ship began levitating and Rick smoothly backed it out of the garage and up toward the sky. 

Before I knew it, I found myself glued to the window, taking in the beautiful sights of the city below, only blobs of light to me now. I watched as the lights slowly faded and became a wooded landscape. Rick lowered the ship slightly so I could get a better view.

"Wow," I murmured, mesmerized by sights I never thought I would be able to see outside of pictures. "It's so beautiful out here."

"It's alright," Rick smirked. "Y-y-you wanna see something truly incredible, let me take you out into space sometime." My eyes widened at the thought, tearing my eyes away from the window to look at him.

"This thing can go into space?" I asked, awestruck.

"Can it go- of course, it can go into space! What good is a SPACEship if it doesn't go into SPACE." He shook his head in amusement as my cheeks flushed pink.

"Rick, the headlights are flashlights. Excuse me for not expecting a lot from it." I told him flatly, trying to stop the smirk that was playing at my cheek.

"You keep making fun of my headlights…" he grumbled, "Y-y-you want me to show you or not?" he asked grumpily.

"Yes," I replied breathlessly. He pressed a couple of buttons on the dash before shifting and grinning wildly at me.

"Yooou're gonna want to put your seatbelt on,” he told me. I quickly belted myself in as the ship began building up speed as it headed for the sky. As we approached the atmosphere, he pressed another couple buttons and he pressed the gas even harder, pushing me back into my seat as we finally broke through. He started slowing the ship down, turning to me to watch my reaction as I took in the inky dark that now surrounded us. He wasn't kidding, it was beautiful out here and I didn't have the words to even react to the astounding view. "L-like I said, incredible huh?" he smirked at me, and I looked over at him, mouth hanging agape.

"No wonder you never came back," I murmured. When he sighed next to me, pressing a button to stabilize the ship and hover, I immediately regretted it.

"That's not- it wasn't like that,” he told me, exasperated. "I mean, i-i-it was kind of like that, but it wasn't because I didn't like- didn't want to be around you. You were an incredible kid and I wanted like hell to stay, but I just… couldn't." 

"I really don't want to talk about this right now Rick," I told him, exhausted at the thought. "I just lost my space virginity, and I kind of want to have this memory be a pleasant one." He opened his mouth to speak, but seemed to think better of it, he closed it again and we fell into a comfortable silence. We existed in that silence for a while, before an alert in his pocket went off. He pulled out a high tech looking device and sighed as he read the message on it.

"We should be getting back,” he informed me regretfully, pushing a button on the dash to take us out of the hover mode keeping us in stationary.

"R-Rick, if Ryan is going to be acting docile, do you think we could come out here again?" I asked nervously, averting my eyes to take in the last bit of the view as we broke through the atmosphere yet again. Rick was quiet for a moment, considering my question.

"Maybe we could take you with us now and then," Rick answered finally. 

"We?"

"M-Morty and I go out on adventures from time to time, you could come with us on the less dangerous ones,” he explained.

"The  _ less  _ dangerous ones?" I asked incredulously. "What are you doing to my godson?"

"N-nothing bad!" he contested. "Sometimes, shit just goes wrong."

I sat in silence for a moment, really thinking everything over before responding, "I want to go on adventures, but I want to also go on the ones that are considered dangerous." I declared finally.

"I'm not going to take you somewhere you might die," he told me, rolling his eyes. "I didn't neutralize your husband so he wouldn't kill you so I could take out and get you killed myself." Going out into space had pushed Ryan so far out of my mind, even briefly and anxiety washed over me again at the thought of going back to my house. Before I could voice my fears, my house was coming back into view and I pulled my phone from my pocket to check the time. 2:30 am. I was so dead.

"You won't have to worry about it because it's way too late and he's going to kill me for being out this late," I panicked. My breathing quickened and suddenly it felt as though I needed to get out of this ship as soon as possible. Rick looked over at me as he landed the ship to find me hyperventilating.

"H-h-hey, Nova, hey- c-calm down, i-it's gonna be okay," he tried to soothe me. As soon as the ship touched down, I wrenched the door open, pouring out on the floor as my legs had become no better than noodles. Rick hurried around the ship with a groan, picking me up off the ground and resting me in his workshop chair. "N-Nova, it's okay. He's not going to hurt you." He dug through his labcoat before extending his flask to me. I took a grateful swig, grimacing at the harsh liquid within. 

"You don't know that. You said yourself that you've never tested that dampener on a human. You don't know what he's like, Rick," I croaked. He groaned angrily, digging through some of the boxes that now filled the garage before producing a small disc-shaped device. He pressed it against the back of my hand and after a light pinch, he removed it and tossed it away.

"If anything happens, if he starts getting angry, tonight or any other time, press into that spot and I'll be there immediately," he explained. "Be warned, if you push that, he's probably going to die, just, uh, full disclosure." 

"Why are you doing all this Rick?" I asked tearfully. He turned his back to me with a shrug.

"I just want you to be safe," he murmured. We sat in silence again, passing his flask back and forth as my breathing slowly returned to normal. I finally resolved to face my husband when my head was finally feeling nice and foggy and he waved goodbye from his bench, leaving me to walk back to my house alone. 

As the front door shut behind me, I expected a light to flick on and my husband to greet me in a drunken stupor, but he wasn't there. As I crept through the quiet house, I waited for him to pop out at any moment but it wasn't until I entered our bedroom that I found him sleeping peacefully. I quickly showered and carefully climbed into bed to avoid waking him. As I closed my eyes, I was treated to a recap of everything I'd seen today, and my dreams were filled with ideas of adventures at Rick's side.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think next chapter is going to be some kind of adventure with Rick 😀


	4. Neon Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rick takes you on an adventure! And then things get real. REAL EMOTIONAL

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UGH. I had such a hard time finding a stopping point for this chapter. I'm still not happy with it, but I've been working on it for days and there's other stuff I wanna get to. So. Sorry if the ending of this chapter suuuuucks

The next few weeks were an adjustment period, but it seemed Rick's dampener was working as he intended. It was almost like my husband had gone back to the person I'd met and fallen in love with all those years ago. I wanted to fall back into him, to let this just be my life now, but I was haunted by what Rick had told Morty. 

_ "It won't work forever."  _

And I couldn’t stop waiting for that other shoe  to drop.

After taking me out in his ship, I found myself at the Smith house constantly. With Ryan acting so docile, he barely batted an eye as I would come and go. Most of the time was spent with Beth, but when she wasn’t home I would find myself wandering into Rick’s garage, with only a polite knock to announce myself. I watched him tinker with the multitude of devices surrounding him, the two of us falling into comfortable silences most of the time. Occasionally, he would ask for my assistance in holding something steady, almost always muttering about how much better of a helper I was than Morty. I responded without fail to those comments with a gentle kick under the table, assuring him I was not the one to make those comments to.

When school let out for the summer, I assumed he would have less time, seeing as Morty would be free to go on adventures with him at his beck and call, but a week after summer break started Morty was ringing my doorbell at 7:30 in the morning, much to my ire. Madison was off at band camp for the summer and I had been up the previous night catching up on shows Ryan had deemed “annoying” previously.

“H-hey Aunt Nova,” he said sheepishly as I glared down at him from the doorway. “R-Rick wanted me to come get you. He wanted to ask you something.” 

“Whatever it was couldn’t wait until a more reasonable hour?” I growled, turning my glare to Smith’s garage.

“He was really insistent on it,” Morty shrugged, cutting across the lawn to head back to his grandfather. I followed him begrudgingly, not caring that I was only wearing a pair of fabric shorts and a tank top. I fully expected to ream Rick out for waking me up and go crawl back into my bed. As I turned the corner to the garage, Rick looked up to greet me, seemingly rendered speechless before shaking his head to clear his head and applying a look of annoyance.

“N-Nova, what the fuck are you wearing?” he asked sharply, pointedly averting his gaze back down to the device he was holding in his hand.

“My pajamas Rick. I was asleep. People do that sometimes you know,” I shot back at him, in no mood for his shit this early.

“L-Look, you can’t go with us wearing shit like that, you’d get yourself killed in an instant,” he responded indignantly.

“Go-go with you? Go where?”

“D-Didn’t Morty tell you?” he groaned inwardly. “You’re going on an adventure with us,” he told me bluntly, as though it should’ve been obvious. “L-Look, Morty, go grab your Aunt some clothes from your mom’s room-”

“No, I’ll just run home and get my own clothes, Rick,” I stopped him sharply. “I don’t fit in Beth’s clothes anyway. I’ve got, uh, more going on than she does.” I watched his eyes flick down to confirm my claims and smirked when they didn’t meet mine again.

I quickly slipped back into my house, opting for the laundry room rather than my bedroom to avoid waking Ryan. Still, I left him a note on his desk letting him know I would be gone for the day. As I rested it on his day planner, I couldn’t help but feel a familiar apprehension creeping up the back of my neck, having to constantly remind myself he wouldn’t be mad anymore. I’ve done this a couple of times since Rick implanted the dampener. It would be okay; things could finally just be okay.

I pulled on a pair of yoga pants, a clean tank top, and a hoodie, resting a moment to pull on my running shoes before heading back to the garage. Rick surveyed my outfit critically, though his eyes seemed to hang around my hips. He nodded quickly in approval, wrenching the door to his ship open and climbing in. Morty and I climbed in the passenger side where I offered Morty the front seat.

“Nope, you’re in the back Morty,” Rick ordered as I started to move to the back of the ship. 

“It’s okay, I can sit back here,” I told him stubbornly, plopping down on a small crate in the back. 

“You can’t see anything from back there,” he insisted. “Plus, it’s not comfortable back there.”

“I’m fine Rick, I promise,” I said tiredly. “I might even take a nap while I’m back here, I’ve got plenty of space to stretch out.” I teased. He gave me an exasperated look before glaring and shrugging.

“Fine, if you wanna be a stubborn ass about it, enjoy the back ‘seat’ then,” he grumbled as he turned the engine over. Morty turned back to look at me apologetically.

“A-Aunt Nova, just sit up here. I’ve seen space a lot. I think you’ll love it,” he told me, standing up to move into the back. Rick watched his grandson, trying his hardest to look annoyed. I finally conceded, consoling myself that Rick hadn’t won, Morty had. I flopped into the seat, trying to ignore how much better my back was already feeling.

“So where are we going?” I asked, trying to mask my excitement as an annoyance.

“We’re headed over to Glip Glap System to find some seeds,” Rick filled me in as he put his ship into overdrive to prepare to break through the atmosphere.

“As opposed to say, the Flip Flop System?” I asked flatly. 

“No- why would we go there? The only thing there are Preflarkans and continuous acid rain, b-b-but if you like the sound of that, we could make a pit stop,” he countered. “Are you always this cranky? Jesus, I might have to rethink taking you out with us.”

“I am when people ring my doorbell early as shit expecting me to know everything that’s going on,” I shot back, “I can go back home. My bed is a lot nicer to me than you’ve been this morning.”

“H-how exactly do you plan on doing that?” he scoffed. “Y-y-you just gonna jump off the ship and expect to plummet right back into bed?” 

“Bitch I might. Try me,” I glared at him. He held my gaze for a moment, before cracking a smile, infecting me with one of my own.

“You go right ahead, genius. Don’t let me stop you,” he grinned. I blushed for a moment, remembering that Morty was watching us from the back. Watching me all but flirt with his grandfather. This was flirting, right? It had been so long since I’d done it, but given an opportunity, I couldn’t resist.

“Alright, what’s in this Glip Glap system?” I asked again. 

“It’s the only place I can find these seeds,” he dug through his coat, producing a crumpled photo of what looked like starfruit, only instead of being all yellow, they were speckled with every color of the rainbow.

“They’re called Supernova Seeds,” he elaborated. 

“Supernova seeds?” I giggled. “A little on the nose there don’t ya think?” When he answered with a confused look, I shook my head, still giggling. “Supernova seeds. SuperNOVA. Seeds. How are you missing this?”

“Oh, I get it, Aunt Nova, your names in the seeds,” Morty said chortling. 

“Astute observations but that was just a happy coincidence,” Rick assured us. “These seeds, they’re better than Mega Seeds Morty.”

“Oh god Rick, you know, I’m still sore from the last time we went after those things, we’re not gonna have to-”

“God Morty no! T-that’s why I brought my ship. We’re just gonna land, grab the seeds, and get the hell out of there. E-easy as-as pie.”

“Every time you’ve said that things have gone horribly wrong,” Morty reminded him, distrust apparent on his face. My eyes flicked between the two of them, growing apprehensive of the entire operation.

“What am I missing here?” I asked slowly, watching both of their faces for some kind of hint.”

“N-Nothing Nova. Everything will be fine,” Rick assured me, although I wasn’t at all convinced, turning to raise an eyebrow at a frustrated looking Morty.

“L-last time we went after any kind of seeds, I ended up having to… to… to shove them up my butt to try to get them past customs,” Morty explained, flushing.

“Excuse me, what?” I asked, stunned. Rick groaned from the seat next to me.

“Well, now we know customs scans way up in your butt now Morty, that’s not an option anymore,” he reassured his grandson.

“That’s not what I was talking about?” I asked, hysteria entering into my voice.

“L-Last time, Morty fell off a cliff and I used up all my charge in my portal gun going to get something to fix his legs, so we had to go through customs and I didn’t want it to be a wasted trip so I needed him to shove them way up in his butt so they wouldn’t find them,” Rick explained with a sigh, and the casual nature of his tone left me speechless. “T-Turned out it was a wasted trip because he didn’t get them out in time and they dissolved and it turned him into a blithering mess on the floor for a couple of days.”

“What in the hell are you doing to my godson, Rick?” I exclaimed incredulously. “Couldn’t you have just… come back for them?”

“Well I mean, we already had them,” Rick shrugged.

“Oh, yeah, why not- no Rick! No more of that, ever,” I sputtered, “Jesus fucking Christ, what is wrong with you?”

“Would you like an itemized list or rather I shoot them off as I think of them?”

I fumed in the passenger seat for a while, trying to formulate a proper response, not quite sure what to even say. Staring out the window was proving to be a nice distraction as we passed by the Earth's moon and it slowly became a blip behind us. 

“How long is it going to take to get there?” I asked grumpily, my exhaustion and irritation taking over my mood. Rick groaned, pulling out a device from his pocket and inspecting it. I wanted to take a peek for myself, but the symbols were completely illegible. 

“Probably another couple hours, why?” 

“I’m taking a nap, does this thing recline? I barely got any sleep last night,” I told him wearily. He watched as I pulled my hoodie off, seeming to be unable to tear his eyes away from me until I covered myself with the hoodie as a makeshift blanket.

“Take you into space one time and you’re all good to start taking naps the next time,” He grumbled under his breath as I searched for the release to lower the seat. He sighed before reaching behind his seat to extract a blanket. “At least use this, it’ll be more comfortable. Ship, make Nova’s seat more comfortable for sleep.”

“Making-seat-comfortable,” A robotic female voice confirmed as my seat adjusted and expanded slightly, giving me more room to stretch out on my side. I draped the blanket over my body, repurposing my hoodie blanket into a hoodie pillow. Once I was finally comfortable, I snuggled in and quickly disappeared into a dream.

* * *

_ A vine coated world was the backdrop for this dream, as I sat at the kitchen island of Beth’s house, sipping my coffee as though everything was totally normal. We were chatting about Beth’s garden when a pang of fear came over me. _

_ Where was Rick? It had been days since I’d seen him. And Ryan was acting… strange. _

_ “Beth, where’s Rick?” I asked her desperately. She looked at me confused, continuing to talk about the peonies she was planning on planting. I stood up to shake her to get her attention, when her head popped off, revealing a vine growing out through her neck. I screamed, fleeing from the house as the vine sprung to life, chasing me out of the house. I screamed for Rick, but when I went to the garage, I found only a wall where the door had once been. I beat on the newly formed concrete before sinking to the ground in defeat. _

_ “Did you really think that he could save you from me?” A voice came from behind me. I turned to see Ryan, standing over me, vines sprouting from every appendage. “You’re mine (Y/N),” he hissed. “You’re mine and you’ll never get away from me.” His vines slowly wrapped around my ankles before yanking them out from under me, causing me to fall. I tried to brace the fall, but thorns pierced my hands, blood oozing out of the wounds. Vine-Ryan cackled at the sight as I continued to scream for Rick. He reached for my shoulders and started shaking me violently, and surely I wouldn’t survive the brain damage. _

_ “Nova!” He yelled as he shook me. “Nova!” _

_ Wait, did he call me Nova? _

* * *

I woke up to Rick leaning over me, shaking me awake. His face was panicked and as I blinked and started looking around the room, I saw Morty looking at me as well, concern and fear contorting his face.

“Nova, are you okay? Wh-What the hell happened?” Rick was asking me urgently. I rubbed my face trying to understand what was happening around me. Rick’s hands moved down my arms, causing me to flinch away from him. My skin was on fire and his touch was only incensing it. “Hey, what the hell is going on?” He asked again, looking over my face.

“I-I think I had a nightmare, I’m sorry,” I mumbled, resting on my elbows as I tried to sit up. 

“Y-yeah, I’d say.” Morty watched me cautiously. “You were screaming for-for Rick and thrashing around like you were trying to get away from something,” he told me. My cheeks flushed and I couldn’t quite bring myself to look at the man intently staring at me, eyes filled with reluctant concern.

“Wh-what the fuck kind of dream were you having?” Rick asked in a gentle tone that didn’t quite match his words.

“I don’t know. I think… I think Ryan-”

“Au-Aunt Nova, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Morty reassured you gently, resting a hand on your arm. 

“It-it’s okay Morty,” I thanked him. “In the dream, Ryan was some kind of vine monster and he was…” My heart started thudding in my chest again, and I took a steadying breath, hoping I wouldn’t have to explain further. I returned my eyes to the windshield, focusing on the murky darkness beyond it, unwilling to accept the look of pity on my godson’s face. I caught Rick’s reflection out of the corner of my eye, giving me his own pitiful look before focusing on the nothingness ahead of him.

The rest of the ride was silent, none of us willing to speak to break the tension. We landed on a vibrant planet, perfectly matching the seed Rick had shown us. 

“This place looks right out of a Doctor Seuss book,” Morty commented as we climbed out of the world. The air smelled of candy and… burnt rubber? I glanced at Rick curiously.

“It takes some getting used to, I guess,” he shrugged. Rick handed us fabric satchels and led us through a dense thicket before coming across what looked like a small grove of trees with… testicle shaped fruit hanging from them. I whipped my hand to my mouth, trying to stifle the inevitable giggle.

“Oh dear god, what the fuck is that?” I snickered, despite myself.

“What the fuck is what?” Morty asked from behind me as he stumbled out of the woods. When he caught sight of the fruit, he snorted loudly.

“Y-y-you guys are so immature,” Rick said, his voice betraying him with a chuckle.

“A-are these the Supernova Fruit Rick?” Morty giggled. “These better than Mega Fruit?” Rick grumbled under his breath, starting to pick the fruit. He filled his bag, handing Morty and me some of our own to carry back, earning him a fresh bout of giggles when we realized they were squishy too. 

“You know Rick, these don’t exactly look like the picture you showed us,” I remarked, looking closer at the oddly squishy thing I was holding.

“That’s because these are the fruits. The seeds themselves are within the fruit.” He stopped, looking around before heading to another tree to shove more of the weird fruit into his bag. “Make sure you’re careful with them, don’t break any.” Once there was no more storage space Rick led us back through the brush, loading them in the ship before we climbed in and he took off. 

“W-wow Rick, I can’t believe how painless that was,” Morty remarked as we flew through the planet's atmosphere, headed home. “Maybe Aunt Nova could be our lucky charm.” 

“Well, now you’ve gone and jinxed us now Morty,” I teased, turning back to wink at him. I couldn’t help but giggle again at the sight of my godson surrounded by over thirty testicle shaped “super” seeds. Morty had picked one up, investigating it closer when the ship lurched, causing him to drop it and break the skin, a series of pores filling the air. 

“What the fuck did you do Morty?!” Rick bellowed, turning quickly to assess the damage. At the sight of the busted seed, his eyes widened. “Oh fuck, goddammit. Alright everyone strap in, this is gonna get weird.”

“Weird?” I exclaimed. Rick quickly pulled out his space phone, searching for a safe place to land.

“Oh fuck there’s nowhere we can go.” Rick wasn’t looking at me but I could feel the fear radiating off of him. 

“W-Why not just go back to that planet?” Morty asked trembling. 

“Follow up question: What’s going to happen to us?”

“A-a-alright listen up you two. Those seeds let off a kind of truth serum. I-I wanted to procure it and sell it to the government. I wasn’t sure if it would work, it was always kind of told as a myth but- it looks like it’s not because I cannot fucking stop talking.” His voice was strained, probably due to him trying to force himself quiet.

“I watch a lot of furry porn on the internet!” Morty shouted, clamping his hands over his mouth. The poor boy looked mortified as Rick and I both stared at him.

“Dear God I did not want to hear that,” I said hollowly, relaxing back into my seat, staring out the window trying to fight down all of the truths boiling to the surface.

“We’ve basically ’Liar Liar’d’ ourselves,” Rick confirmed.

“I’ve also seen a lot of-“ Muttering my apologies, I picked up an old catalog and hit the boy upside the back of his head, knocking him out cold. 

“G-good call, I did not want to hear what other porn my grandson is into,” Rick shuttered, “A little unsettling that that was the first place he went but a different day’s problem.”

“I like being spanked and-and being choked.” I blurted out, my turn to slap my hand over my mouth as Rick raised an interested eye at me.

“Oh really?” He asked deviously, “Anything else I should know about?”

“Rick, why did you leave?” I asked suddenly before I even realized what I was saying. I knew he had to answer though, and seeing as I couldn’t lie to myself right now, I knew I needed to know. It would also help divert his attention from my initial admission, and any subsequent teasing.

He was stunned for a moment, trying his hardest to fight the answer boiling below the surface. “I-I left because of Jerry, and I developed my portal gun and well… because of you,” he confessed, strangled by his own words. Tears pricked my eyes at the revelation, unable to respond. “But-But not because there was something wrong with you. Quite-quite the opposite really.” The look on his face was pained, searching mine for some kind of reaction. 

“Opposite… how…?” I asked slowly.

“Nova please don’t make me say it. I’m not good with these things even if I’ve been dosed with truth serum,” he pleaded. Unable to fight the effect of the seeds, he continued, “I wanted you around, constantly. And you were Beth’s best friend. And you were so young. And I was married. There was just so much wrong with the situation that I ran away.” Tears were streaming down his cheeks as he rambled. 

Frozen to my chair, I wasn’t sure how to react. I finally felt… validated. Everything I’d felt back then and even now felt justified. Sure it was wrong, but the warm feeling spreading through my gut made everything feel like it could be alright.

“Rick I-“ 

“I didn’t know you’d be her next-door fucking neighbor when I came back.” He barreled over me. “I thought I had moved on, but the moment I saw you, and the way you always looked at me with such genuine awe. And then you have this awful fucking husband.” His sadness was turning to rage as I sat and listened. “How do you let him do that shit to you, Nova?”

“I don’t know how to get out,” I squeaked. “He’d kill me. He’s assured me of it.”

“He won’t,” Rick murmured darkly. “If anything ever happens like that, you can call me. Don’t you ever forget that.” I rubbed the spot on my hand where he’d implanted the panic button reflexively. A quiet alarm rang from his sleeve and he rolled it up, looking at his arm with a grin. I paled slightly, two and two coming together in my head.

“D-does that happen every time I touch it?” I asked nervously.

He nodded with a shrug. “I kinda like it to be honest. Is it a comfort thing?” 

It was my turn to nod, swallowing my embarrassment. “I can stop if it bothers you, I didn’t know-”

“Nova it’s fine. It kinda makes me… makes me feel good.” He admitted, sounding strangled again. “Goddammit, when is this shit going to wear off.”

“What’s going to happen when it does?” I asked, my voice almost microscopic.

“What do you mean?” He looked over at me, trying to mask any emotion his face could be emoting. “What do you want to happen?” Oh shit, it was my turn to be forced into the truth.

Fuck.

“I-I like spending time with you again. I like going on adventures with you. A-and Morty. I don’t want you to go back to avoiding me.” I stared down into my hands, unwilling to meet his gaze.

“I’m pretty sure I can’t do that anymore,” he confessed softly.

“Are you going to leave us again?”

“Only if you ask me to.”

I considered his words for a while, letting silence fall over us. Just when I thought my life would finally get back to a semblance of normal, Rick would drop another bomb into my life. I didn’t know how to process his confession. Was, was Rick in love with me? Was that even possible? More importantly, was I in love with Rick?

I think I was, at one time but it couldn’t be ignored that he broke my heart. Whatever was here between us, whatever fucked up, codependent feelings we had, it was almost impossible for it to exist outside of this ship, but then, would that be so bad? Could I just let go? I looked over at him, a vein in his jaw thudding from restraint. My heart flooded with emotion as I looked him over. I could feel the words forcing their way up through my throat before I spoke.

“What do you want to happen once this ship makes it back to your garage?” I asked shakily.

“I-I…” It seemed his composure was winning out as he fought the compulsion. It was wearing off, filling me with relief and regret. He stole a glance over at me, meeting my gaze and sighing. “I want you, Nova,” he conceded. “I can’t help it. There are infinite universes but when I look at you, you fill me with some weird kind of peace, like maybe everything’s not so bad. Like it’s not completely pointless.”

I held his gaze, my mouth opening slightly. I started moving closer to him, wanting more than anything to kiss him, to assure him that I felt something even remotely similar when I heard Morty starting to stir. Rick saw my intent though, as I quickly returned to my seat, opting to return to the window again.

“H-hey Morty, how are you feeling?” Rick changed the subject, pulling out his flask, taking a long swig from it. 

“Au-Aunt Nova, why’d you hit me?” Morty asked, rubbing the part of his head that the catalog landed.

“I really didn’t think you wanted to continue revealing your internet history. I did you a favor, kiddo.” I assured him, not turning to look at him.

“She did us all a favor,” Rick grumbled. Gone was his soft tone, replaced by his usual hardened approach to the world.

“Y-Y-Y-Yea, that’s probably for the best,” Morty said sheepishly.

Rick checked his watch. “So it looks like that shit lasts for about an hour. That’s good to know.” Taking another swig, he sunk back into his seat, ignoring Morty’s cautious observance from the back.

“Wh-what did you guys talk about?” He asked nervously.

“Y-Y-You’re Aunt Nova is apparently really into getting spanked and some other tidbits I’ll keep to myself,” Rick smirked. I blushed, pointedly keeping my gaze averted from either of them.

“Aw, jeez Rick, I really didn’t need to know that,” he said awkwardly.

“And I needed to know about your furry fetish?” I shot back at him, finally looking back at him to offer a playful smile.

“I-it’s not a fetish!” he defended. “The-the art style is just really fascinating.”

“Yeah, the serum is definitely worn off by now,” Rick groaned. “Thank god we’re almost back to Earth.” 

* * *

When we landed and my phone was finally in range of phone towers, it blared with constant text notifications and new voicemails. Rick and Morty climbed out of the ship as I hastily pulled it out. They were all from the same person.

Ryan.

“You okay Nova?” Rick asked softly, pulling my door open. I started scrolling through the messages, my eyes flicking up to the time. It was 12:30 at night. I had been gone all day. And he had to be pissed. I lifted the phone to show Rick, letting him scroll through the messages. Morty disappeared into the house with a parting wave. A look of disgust formed on Rick’s face as he read through the messages, flipping over to the voicemails.

“(Y/N), where are you? I’ve been texting and calling all day, I’m so worried,” one said

“If I did something, I’m so sorry, please just come home,” he pleaded in another.

“This is pathetic,” Rick scoffed, handing my phone back to me. “Better than the alternative though I suppose.”

I relaxed back into the seat, letting out a long breath I hadn’t realized I was holding in and tears of relief rolled down my cheeks. Rick extended a hand out to me to help me out of the ship, and despite my better judgment, I pushed myself into his embrace. He was taken aback at first but reluctantly wrapped his long arms around me. I breathed in deeply, smelling the alcohol on his breath and the lingering burning smell from the supernova planet that seemed to have seeped into his clothes. The smell burned my nose, but the comfort of having him so close won out. I pulled away from him when he shifted his weight, nervously looking up at him as I did.

“S-sorry,” I murmured, the cool breeze blowing through the garage sending a chill down my spine. The absence of his warmth was glaring, and as he watched me, I swore a sad look formed on a face before he could mask it.

“D-Don’t be.” He was surprisingly quiet, looking anywhere but at me as he scratched the back of his neck. “I guess I’ll see you around, kid.”

“Yea, I’ll see you.” Every muscle in my body revolted as I turned to walk away, heading back to my house. I turned as I cut the corner to see him slumped into the chair at his workbench, taking another swig from his flask.

The light in the front room was open and when I entered, Ryan passed out on the couch having fallen asleep to late-night infomercials. He woke up as I quietly close the door behind me. I was prepared for a fight, but when he realized it was me coming in the door he quickly stood, wrapping his arms around me as Rick had. This time, however, my body tensed and I gently patted his back. He pulled away to look at me, worry in his eyes as he surveyed my face, looking for any damage.

“Where were you (Y/N)?” He asked desperately. The concern in his face seemed to be genuine, but I still couldn’t bring myself to trust him. 

“Rick and Morty took me on one of their adventures,” I admitted hesitantly. “I left a note on your desk.”

“I haven’t been in there all day.” Realization dawned on his face and he looked relieved. “You look exhausted darling, we should head to bed.”

I showered, washing the smell of our adventures away and I couldn’t help but feel heartbroken at its absence. I crawled into bed, Ryan wrapping his arms around me. It was a new feature of his personality, courtesy of the dampener. He was so affectionate now and I honestly longed for the times when he was more hands-off. I closed my eyes tightly, breathing deeply as I tried to think of them being Rick’s, which was significantly more comforting. Thoughts of the lanky scientist followed me into my dreams, and when I awoke the following morning, after reluctantly kissing my husband on the cheek goodbye, I made a beeline over to his garage. Instead of Rick, however, I found Morty cleaning what looked to be vomit off of the floor. 

“Hey kiddo, what happened?” He nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of my voice.

“Rick drank until he blacked out it looks like,” he told me, scooping the last of the vomit into a trash can. 

“Do you want me to grab a mop? Try to get the rest of it up?” I offered, looking around.

“Don’t worry about it, Aunt Nova. Rick’s not worth the extra effort,” he assured me bitterly.

“Don’t say that Morty,” I said softly. “Your grandpa cares about you, he’s just not very good at showing it.”

“Y-y-you got that right.” He kicked the base of the workbench in frustration. An alarm started blaring at the contact, startling both of us.

“The-the fuck are you doing messing with my shit,” a drunk Rick slurred over a wall-mounted speaker. “Get out of here, J-Jerry.” 

“Morty, what the fuck?” A voice came from behind me. I turned to see a hungover Rick glaring at the two of us from the doorway. “Oh, hey Nova, the fuck do you want?” 

“I was just- I don’t even know. I’ll just go,” I flushed. I quickly headed out of the garage as Morty berated his grandfather.

“Au-Aunt Nova wait!” he called after me. I paused my escape to turn to Morty. “P-Please don’t go. Rick’s just being an ass.”

“No, it’s fine. I have laundry to do. I’ll catch you guys later,” I lied.

“N-Nova, wait,” Rick called after me. “Just, hang out for a while. Beth’s making breakfast.”

“I wouldn’t want to intrude,” I shot at him coldly. I don’t know what I was expecting coming over here, Rick wasn’t going to suddenly be some open book because of some truth serum soul-bearing.

“Y-You’re not?” he said angrily. “Look, either stay or don’t, I really don’t care.” 

“Please, Aunt Nova?” Morty pleaded. I conceded again to Morty, even though it was technically letting Rick win.

I followed the two into the kitchen, greeting Beth with a warm hug. She was overjoyed to have me join them for breakfast. I took up my usual place at the table next to her and I let myself fall into a comfortable conversation with her and Summer about plans for the summer. Still, I couldn’t stop my eyes from finding their way to Rick. He looked disgruntled as ever, mostly at Jerry talking his ear off about some transgression Rick could give two shits less about. I helped Beth and Morty clear the table, Jerry heading to his study and Summer to her bedroom. Rick stayed at the table, tinkering with some gadget. I sat next to him, watching him while Morty helped his mother with the dishes.

“Look, I’m sorry,” Rick said, not looking up from his tinkering. “I got pretty drunk after you left last night.”

“Yeah, I saw the leftovers in the garage,” I grimaced. Yelling erupted from the kitchen, Beth and Jerry shouting over something. Morty emerged from the kitchen, plastering on a smile as he sat down next to us.

“Dad still hasn’t gotten a new job,” he explained. My eyes darted sadly to my friend, wishing I knew some way to help.

“C-Come on Morty, I need your help in the garage,” Rick sighed, tucking his gadget in his lab coat before stalking off to the garage. “Nova, you coming?”

I was almost embarrassed about how quickly I hopped out of my chair to follow him until I saw the small smile on his face.

Jesus christ, what is happening to me?


	5. Pornstartrek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Awwww, shit, who wants some Rick POV? Is it you? Cuz that's what you're getting! What's that? You also want Rick to fight against feelings? GUESS WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU THEN. ehehehehehehe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CW: Discussions of death, suicide and all manner of death

I woke up one morning, two weeks after being dosed with truth serum, to Ryan sitting with his back to me, rocking back and forth slowly. I desperately wanted to just roll back over, to just ignore him and go back to sleep but he caught me before I had the chance.

“(Y/N), we need to talk,” he said sadly, and my stomach dropped. My mind raced with whatever I could’ve possibly done to upset him. Sure I’d been spending most of my time hanging out in Rick’s garage, but with my entire day open ever since my salon had to let me go, what else was I supposed to do with my time? Nevermind the fact that I was becoming just as addicted to his presence as he had admitted being about mine, as though his admission made it okay.

“Uh, okay. What’s up?” I asked as casually as I could. I sat up, pulling the blanket up to cover my naked form to give him my full attention as he stood up and started pacing the room.

“Are, are you happy being married to me?” His voice was raw as he spoke. “You’re just never home, and when you are, you’re so distant. I’m starting to think you don’t love me anymore.”

I went into panic mode, prepping myself with my finger on the metaphorical trigger of Rick’s panic button. Was this finally the time? Was this going to be when he snaps? “Of course I love you, Ryan,” I murmured, but as soon as the words left my lips, I knew they weren’t true. I hadn’t loved him for a long time and no amount of mental dampening would ever change that. Unfortunately, judging by the look on his face, he was coming to a similar conclusion. 

He never got the chance to try to confirm his fears as a portal opened up in our bedroom, Rick stepping through, looking at me frantically.

“Nova! Nova, I need you to come with me!” he pleaded, grabbing me by my wrist and pulling me up from my bed and toward the glowing green orb.

“W-wait Rick! Where are we going?” I demanded, yanking my arm out of his grasp to cover my now exposed nude form. He gave a frustrated groan, averting his gaze.

“L-look, something’s not right with Morty! I just need your help.” he explained, annoyance seeping into his panic.

“And you were going to drag me off to help him in the fucking nude?” I asked hysterically as I started digging into my closet, looking for something to return my dignity.

“Is Morty okay Rick?” Ryan asked, his voice dripping with concern. I pulled on a pair of sweats and a tee-shirt, slipping on my trusty running shoes,

“He’s not going to be if Nova doesn’t hurry the hell up,” Rick said, panic taking over his voice again as he watched the window nervously. 

“I’m here,” I announced. “I’m ready, let’s go.”

I followed him to the portal, sparing a glance to Ryan who watched sadly as I disappeared through it. I knew that conversation wouldn’t stay unfinished, but at least for now, I wouldn’t have to deal with it.

The portal dropped us into a small apartment, with Morty nowhere to be seen. I scanned the room, quickly realizing this was a den of a man who had all but given up. Old take-out tins littered the floor, mixed in with crushed beer cans and trashed gadgets. The room was dimly lit, making it hard to decipher much of the filth spread across the room, but I could make out a picture resting on a filthy pillow on an even filthier couch. I squinted, attempting to make it out but try as I may I couldn’t see anything other than a feminine figure. 

“W-where’s Morty?” I asked nervously, but Rick’s face no longer wore a look of panic. Instead, a watery smile was spreading across his face as he gazed lovingly down at me before pressing his mouth to mine, kissing me desperately. I pulled away, shocked at the brazen assault.

“I missed you so much Nova; I thought I would never see you again,” he murmured, resting his forehead against mine. 

“M-Missed me?” I sputtered, pulling away from the desperate man in front of me. “Rick I just saw you yesterday. Circling back, what the fuck was that kiss?”

He looked at me with sadness in his eyes as he started pacing. “Goddammit,” he swore in frustration. “I just, I was hoping you and your Rick would’ve crossed that bridge by now,” he rambled, wringing his hands together.

“ _ My  _ Rick?” I demanded, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Nova, I’m sorry,” he raised his hand to my face, his wrist opening up to expose a small aerosol can. It sprayed mere inches away from my face, making my head spin. “I’ll explain, I promise. Just not right now.”

And everything went dark.

* * *

+Rick+

* * *

Where in the hell was Nova? Usually, when I saw Dipshit’s car pulling out of the driveway, she popped up like clockwork. I wracked my mind, thinking of something I could’ve done to upset her, and while there was more of a list than I’d like to admit none of it wasn’t recent or offensive enough to earn me her version of the silent treatment.

Maybe she had laundry to do or something. She’ll be here eventually.  

I turned back to my workbench, going back to the atomic speaker I had been working on, but I couldn’t quite focus. I had felt the alarm from rubbing her panic button, but it had been one of the many comfort alerts, nothing that would signify something was wrong.

If she wasn’t here in an hour, I was going to go check on her. 

* * *

Ok. where the fuck is she?

I stormed up to the house, preparing to give her a piece of my mind for making me worry about her. Sure, I had only waited forty-five minutes, but my brain decided to take me down the dangerous path of immediately jumping to the conclusion that Ryan had done something to her. I rapped on the door, peeking into the windows as I tapped my foot impatiently. Her car was still in the driveway, she had to be home.

Thirty seconds.

A minute.

My mind raced with images of her being knocked out, hurt or god forbid dead. I pulled out my portal gun, opening one to her room and stepping into it. There didn’t seem to be any signs of a struggle, but her phone was still on her bedside table. That was… weird. I sat down on her bed, turning the screen on to find a text from Ryan.

“I hope everything’s okay with Morty, we’ll have to pick up where we left off when you get back. I love you.” My nose wrinkled in disgust at the message as I tossed it back onto her bed, but its importance wasn’t lost on me.

_ “I hope everything’s okay with Morty.” _

The fuck did that mean?

I opened another portal, this time into Morty’s bedroom. Summer meant the kid was still sleeping, so I grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him violently. He awoke with a horrified gasp as I glared down at him.

“Wh-where in the fuck is Nova?” I asked him urgently. Shit man, dial it back. She was probably fine.

Right?

“I-I-I don’t know?” he exclaimed, confused. “I haven’t seen her since last night.”

“So you didn’t talk to her or anything? Telling her something was wrong?” I grilled him.

“N-No!”

Well, fuck me running.

“Well she’s not home, and there was a message on her phone, hoping you were okay.” I spat at him, panic starting to consume me. I pulled out my flask, taking a soothing swig from it. If I wanted to figure out what the fuck was going on, I needed to keep a steady head. 

“Why were you going through Aunt Nova’s phone?” Morty asked angrily. 

“Everyday, Morty, every fucking day Nova shows up after her idiot leaves for work.” I shouldn’t have to explain this. Morty knows she’s at the house almost every goddamn day. “She didn’t show up today.”

“O-okay and? She has a life, Rick,” Morty reminded me viciously, “Maybe she had other shit to do?”

“Okay, that could be true Mo-uuurp-ty.” Pausing to take another swig, I considered his response. “Then what’s up with the text message. What- how are you logicing that one out genius?”

“I don’t know, Rick! Maybe she lied to Ryan, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

“Except with how docile he is, she doesn’t have to,” I shot back at him. Even though Morty’s explanations made logical sense, something just didn’t feel right.

“I-I-I don’t know Rick, maybe it’s just habit at this point,” the boy grumbled, climbing out of bed and pulling on his jeans. “I’m sure she’ll be over later, th-then maybe you can act like a clingy bitch to her and not me.” 

“I-I-Wha-Fuck you, Morty,” I stammered, “I was worried about her, her fucking husband happens to beat her from time to time. Or are you going to keep ignoring that like everyone else in this fucking house does? Th-th-that makes me a clingy bitch? Paying fucking attention?”

“Uh, a little bit Rick?” He glanced over at his clock. “Ryan’s only been gone for an hour. You’re in full-tilt panic mode a-a-after an hour? Plus, if your mental dampener is working so well, why are you freaking the fuck out?”

“I said it wouldn’t work forever Morty,” I spat at him. “I-if his internalized, repressed rage becomes too much for it to handle, i-it’ll short out and it’s all going to come out at once.”

He didn’t respond, so I followed the boy out into the kitchen, letting my mind go wild with potential scenarios. Beth entered after us, an annoyed look on her face as she read a message on her phone.

“Dad, could you not be portalling into Nova’s bedroom?” she sighed, ”Ryan just texted me to ask, he said you scared the shit out of them.” She rolled her eyes as she tossed her phone on the counter. “What were you doing over there anyway?”

“I-I wasn’t there? At least, not when Ryan was,” I assured her. “I went over there looking for her, but she wasn’t there.” Her phone buzzed again and she sighed as she picked it up to read the new message.

“Well, yeah, he said you showed up, freaking out about Morty and disappeared with Nova,” Beth quickly looked her son over. “What’s wrong with Morty?”

Oh,  _ fuck  _ me.

* * *

“I fucking told you, Morty!” I shouted, dragging him behind me into the garage after assuring Beth her son was just fine, for now anyway. “How many times are you going to doubt my judgment?” 

“When you stop being completely erratic,” he mumbled. “L-look, clearly one of the other Rick’s kidnapped Nova. Do- do you think it’s because they want something from you?”

“Yeah, and they’ve already got it,” I growled as I opened the small metal cabinet I kept all of my anti-Rick technology. Fuck, I didn’t want to have to explain this to Morty. Jesus Christ this was going to be awkward. 

“Th-There are some Rick’s- on the citadel Morty- that developed a romantic relationship with Nova. Those Rick’s lo- care about their Nova’s like they’re the physical embodiment of a Blips and Chitz or something.” Attaboy Rick, compare her to an overpriced fucking arcade, that’s what she deserves. “So either you’re right, and they’re holding her for ransom, which would probably be an easy fix or some heartbroken stupid ass Rick lost his Nova and came for ours. And that asshole is no-uuurp-ot gonna wanna let her go.”

Morty processed a moment, before a look of confusion passed over his face. “I-I didn’t see any Nova’s at the citadel when we were there.” 

“Well Morty, if you weren’t so n-narcissistically focused on yourself and all the other versions of yourself, you would’ve seen her. Sh-she was there, you just-- just had to pay attention,” I insisted. I could feel my throat tighten, her absence felt like a glaring hole in my side. I slammed the metal cabinet shut, tossing Morty an anti-Rick pistol of his own and downing the remnants of my flask before pulling out my portal gun, punching in coordinates for the citadel.

God fucking dammit.

I opened the portal to the citadel, stepping through and immediately groaning. How fucking narcissistic was I to have so fucking many statues of myself in one city? Morty hopped through the portal behind me, eyes wide with wonder as he looked around, still utterly fascinated by this hellhole. 

“C-come on Morty,” I ushered him past a Batman Rick and Robin Morty as we cut down a small alley, headed to the one place I did not want to go. 

The Council.

I gave the Rick at the front desk a brief rundown of the situation, as he typed into the computer in front of him and gave me a number. Seventy-seven of… thirty. Fucking bureaucratic nonsense. This was going to take forever. I refilled my flask at a complimentary cooler, taking a swig. Ah, the space equivalent to vodka. It had been awhile. I paced back and forth as we waited… and waited… and waited.

What was happening to Nova? Was she okay? What the fuck was the fuckwad doing to her? Jesus Christ, when did I become such a fucking baby?

Thirty-one.

Thirty-two.

It had been half an hour and only two Ricks had gone in front of the council. Why wasn’t this a higher priority? Didn’t those assholes have a Nova of their own? They didn’t deserve her if they did. 

Thirty-three.

Thirty-four.

Another thirty minutes. At this rate, if the Rick that took her was going to do anything to her, he’d already would’ve had time to wine and dine her. Would she know it wasn’t me? I mean, there was no way for her to tell if he didn’t tell her himself.

Thirty-five.

Thirty-si-

Fuck this.

I barged in front of Number Thirty-Six Rick, dragging my Morty behind me as forced my way into the Council Hall. “The fuck are you doing?” Thirty-Six Rick shouted at me.

“Wh-whatever parking ticket you got will have to wait,” I told him angrily. He followed me into the hall, the five Ricks sneering down at us.

“Rick N-682, to what do we owe the honor?” Riq IV asked smugly. “Rick J-384, we’ll be with you in just a moment. return to the waiting room.” Rick J-384 started to argue, earning him a one-way ticket out of the hall, courtesy of the Soldier Rick stationed by the door.

“You assholes owe me after that Evil Rick shit,” I started viciously.

“You got your one free Morty coupon N-682,” Rick Prime shot down at us. “What more do you want?!”

“SomeRick came to my dimension and kidnapped the Nova from it.” My heart raced as the Ricks started murmuring back and forth, some wearing actual looks of distress.

“When did your Nova go missing? What is your relationship status with her?” Riq IV asked finally, his tone significantly less venomous than before.

“Sh-She’s my neighbor. Spends a lot of time around m-my house.” I did fucking not want to get all in my confusing fucking feelings about her with this asshole. “She’s one of the Nova’s that married Dipshit, what’s his name, Morty?”

“Ryan.” Morty sighed.

“She married Ryan.” I spat his name out. “U-usually she shows up every morning after he leaves for work but when she didn’t show up I went to check on her and she wasn’t there.” My heart raced as I rambled. “Beth got a text from Dipshit saying I portalled into their bed-bedroom and took her because something happened to my Morty, but I was never there.”

“Y-You let your Nova marry that fuckwad?” Quantum Rick asked furiously.

“I-I didn’t have much choice. I wasn’t around when that happened,” I admitted. “A-anyway, that’s not important. What’s important is someRick took her for Rick knows what reason and I have no idea where she could be.”

“Alright N-682,” Riq IV mediated, “Computer! Bring up reported Nova d-deaths in the past six months.” The huge screen to the right lit up with images of beaten Novas, apparently taken out by their Ryans, a Nova that was smashed in a car accident and countless other heart-wrenching scenarios.

“Wh-what the fuck are you Ricks doing to your Nova’s?” I blurted out, horrified at the images I was presented with. Morty covered his eyes next to me, unwilling to see his beloved Aunts in such horrendous situations. 

“What is the likelihood of your Nova not knowing the Rick she’s with is not you?” Riq IV asked, pointedly not looking at the screen himself. 

“H-How am I supposed to know? I don’t know what the asshole is doing with her!”

“Computer! What Ricks did the d-deceased Nova’s belong to?” A list of Ricks appeared on the screen, along with the cause of death associated. “Computer, run a filter for Ricks who’s Novas were killed unexpectedly but also romantically attached.” The list shortened considerably, only four Rick’s remaining on the screen. The computer printed out the list for Riq IV who looked it over before passing it down to me. “Here’s a start N-682. Two of these Rick’s live here on the citadel, the other two in their own dimensions. Keep us updated on your findings. Good luck.” I grabbed the list out of his hand, opening a portal to head to the first Rick.

* * *

“Y-Ya know Rick, seeing Au-Aunt Nova like that…” Morty trailed off as stepped through the portal to the first Rick on the list’s home on the citadel.

“It fucking sucks doesn’t it.” I hissed at him, unwilling to sort out how that might be traumatizing the kid,

“M-maybe it is good you did make that dampener,” he murmured. Ah, he was starting to see sense. It’s about fucking time.

“W-Well yeah. Like I said, I’m not the biggest fan of domestic abuse,” I relented.

“Oh give it up Rick, I saw your face too when those d-dead Novas came up on the screen,” Morty chided. “Y-Y-You looked fucked up too.”

“Wh-what do you want from me, Morty?” I asked venomously, stopping at the stoop of the small house.

“You care about Nova. M-m-more than you’re willing to admit,” he probed viciously,

“Wh-Whate-*uuurp*ver you say, Morty,” I dismissed, ending the conversation with an urgent knock on the door. Morty conceded but still eyed me smugly.

What in the hell did he want from me? Nova mattered to me, sure, but he was making it out to be way more than it was. Sure, I liked having her around, but if worst comes to worst I could just go get another Nova, they were just as replaceable as Mortys. Or Jerrys. Or hell, Beths.

Goddamn, you’re full of shit old man. 

The door opened and a solemn-looking Rick greeted us disdainfully. I resisted the urge to blow past him and scream Nova’s name, hoping she would reply. Emotional thinking like that would only get us killed. Instead, I had to lie. But, hey, I was good at that, I lie to myself every goddamn day.

“Hi, we’re here on behalf of the council, may we come in?” I asked, putting on a very professional front.

“Wh-what do you assholes want?” he grunted in response.

“Just a moment of your time Rick,” I glanced down to the paper Riq IV gave us, “T-394. Just some routine questioning. In and out.” He relented us, leading us through his dingy home. My eyes scanned every room we passed, falling on a picture of this Rick and his Nova. It was obvious she had been the one to take the picture, judging by the irritated look on his face. T-394 noticed my pause and turned to look at me.

“She died a couple of months ago. Car accident on the citadel,” he explained thickly. “What did you want?”

“M-My Nova just went missing,” I admitted softly, before shaking my head and clearing my throat. “We were wondering if you had heard anything about anyone kidnapping Novas.”

“Why in the hell didn’t I think of that?” T-394 said, irritated. “Look, no. My Nova was the only person I’ve met that was even remotely irreplaceable. Besides, Ricks don’t let them go willingly. And for the Novas that never met their Rick, those are few and far between at this point.”

“The Novas that didn’t meet their Rick?” Morty asked.

“Most of the time, Nova ends up hanging around with Beth but there are a scarce few whose parents moved them across the country or Beth and Nova just weren’t friends. Rick’s that lost their Novas used to go after them, trying to rekindle the relationship but it doesn’t always work,” I explained, exasperated. 

“How’d you lose her anyway? Are you sure she didn’t just run away? Some Novas do that you know,” T-394 scoffed. 

“She didn’t- Nova didn’t fucking run away you dick,” I bit back, “Some fucking Rick appeared acting like he was me and said something was wrong with Morty so she went with him.” T-394 nodded but didn’t speak. “If I come back here, after going through all these other Ricks and she’s here, I’m going to kill you, you know that right?”

“You’d kill me if she was here right now anyway,” he retorted, unfazed. “I’ve dealt with my Nova dying. I moved on.” The look on his face, however, completely refuted his claims.

“Yeah, whatever you say. You better hope I don’t have to come back here,” I threatened darkly, pulling out my portal gun, pressing in the coordinates to the next Rick.

“Oh, fuck me, buddy.”

“Yeah, fuck you.”

* * *

The next Rick lived in a high rise in the city. Morty and I took the elevator to the top floor, ignoring all of the Rick bums sitting outside on the street.

“H-How are there Rick Bums? Aren’t they smart enough to just leave and go back to their dimension?” Morty asked.

“Life on the citadel is preferable for most Ricks, but some have a hard time making a life here. L-look, I’m not here to teach you ethics, Morty. Figure it out on your own,” I told him harshly. 

“Jeez Rick, if this Rick that has Aunt Nova is in love with her or whatever, isn’t she gonna be okay?” Morty shot back.

“Yeah, that’s if Nova doesn’t fight back or do anything that could possibly be construed as an escape attempt.” My heart was racing again, and I quickened my step at the thought. “We don’t know anything about this Rick, Morty. He could be a fucking psychopath.” We approached the door, knocking urgently. The Rick that answered had long blue hair, and instead of the usual Rick attire, wore a long Hugh Hefner-esque cigarette jacket and lounge pants. Ugh, the upper-class Ricks were the fucking worst.

“The fuck do you want middle-class Rick?” he barked from the doorway.

I took a deep breath, trying to control my temper as I went with the same line from before. “We’re with the council of Ricks, may we have a moment of your time?”

“Fuck off. The council knows not to bother me,” he dismissed, moving to slam the door in my face. “You’re not from the council.” 

I caught the door with my hand before pushing my way in. “No, I’m fucking not but someone fucking took my Nova and I am going to find out who one way or another.” Hugh Hefner Rick stepped back in shock, clearly not used to people standing up to him. He sighed, allowing Morty to follow us into his disgustingly decadent apartment. Long mirrors hung from the walls in a horrendous display of vanity, along with an advertising standee for Jerryboree. “Wa-Wait, you’re the Rick that came up with Jerryboree? I-I don’t give praise often, but that was ingenious.”

Hefner Rick shrugged, glancing over at the standee with irritation. “Y-yeah, bigger headache than I anticipated.” He walked over to a small stand with crystal bottles of various sizes and poured himself a drink. “Now what’s this about your Nova being kidnapped? How the fuck did you let that happen?”

“I-I didn’t let anything happen,” I roared. I was really getting tired of having to explain this over and over. “SomeRick came into her house, pretending to be me, told her something about Morty being sick, or hurt or fucked up or something and she went with him.” 

“A-And you think I had something to do with that? My Nova died from an overdose,” he said flatly. A horrified look formed on my face and he continued, “This life ain’t for everyone. I can’t have someone that can’t hang holding me back,” he shrugged again, lighting a fury within me.

“Oh, so you’re one of those Ricks,” I challenged him, completely disgusted. Morty looked between the two of us, looking confused so I elaborated. “Most Ricks lo- care about their Novas, but then you have these assholes who use them and throw them away like garbage.” Venomous hatred was coursing through me as the Rick in front of me made no attempts to defend himself. He knew what he was.

“It is what it is,” Hefner Rick confirmed nonchalantly.

“Let’s get out of here Morty,” I spat at the other Rick one last time before opening a portal back downstairs on the street. I paced angrily once it was closed behind me. Morty watched me cautiously, trying to think of the right thing to say.

“R-Rick, we should probably get to the next one,” he said in what I assumed was an attempt at a comforting tone.

“Fucking dick. H-How do you just let someone like her just fucking die like that?” I shouted, drawing attention from the other Ricks and Mortys passing us on the street. “She deserves better than that. There are Ricks that would kill, o-or kidnap to have a Nova in their life. And he just- he fucking let her die? I should go back up there and kill him myself.” Ricks and Mortys were stopped in their tracks, as Morty pulled the paper out of my pocket, looking at the next destination. I let him pull the portal gun out of my pocket as he fumbled to punch in the coordinates.

* * *

As we appeared in this dimension, we were immediately greeted with its resident Rick and Morty. They eyed us suspiciously as I glared down at Morty.

“You’re not supposed to portal directly into a Rick’s garage,” I chastised him before looking back up to the Rick. “Rick U-679, I’m Rick N-682, I just had a couple of questions for you,” I told him, dropping all pretenses of the council. I was running out of time.

“I don’t have anything to say to you fucks,” he growled back at me.

“Your Nova died not too long ago,” I posited, ignoring his slight.

“Yeah, what of it?” he asked defensively.

“My Nova was just kidnapped and I wanted to know if that would be something you knew anything about,” I accused. It was either him, or the last Rick and my patience was running thin.

“I haven’t left the house in weeks. My Morty can tell you,” Rick dismissed, turning around with a wave of his hand. This dimension’s Morty nodded, rolling his eyes.

“He really hasn’t. Ever since Nova died he’s been hyper-focused on trying to figure out how to resurrect her,” this Morty explained,“We’ve even got her corpse downsta-”

“Shut the fuck up Morty,” U-679 shouted, delivering a blow to the back of his Morty’s head. “Look, I want  _ my _ Nova back, I don’t want some fucking hand me down that doesn’t know me from the Rick she knew. Now, get the fuck out of my dimension,” he snapped.

I opened my mouth to continue, but Morty U-679 shook his head fervently. I rolled my eyes, portalling back to the citadel.

“This last guy, W-358 must be the guy Morty. Are you ready to fuck this asshole up?” I asked, pulling out my laser pistol, checking to make sure it was working properly. 

“D-Do we have to kill him?” Morty asked hesitantly.

“For all the headache I’ve had to go through, yeah, I’d say we have to kill him,” I assured him darkly. 

“It’s just- aw jeez Rick seeing those two Rick’s who lost their Novas, it seems like they were just hurting,” he reasoned, rubbing his hands together nervously.

“I fail to see how that’s my problem, Morty. It’s simple. You don’t steal from another Rick.”

“I-Is that all Aunt Nova is to you? A possession?” Morty accused me. I stopped my inspection to look at him, narrowing my eyes at him as I spoke with as evenly as possible.

“Of course not Morty,” I fumed, “Y-You just don’t get it, Morty.”

“No, you don’t get it, Rick,” Morty argued back. “You c-care about Aunt Nova. Why can’t you just admit to it?”

“I-I already did?” I shook my head at him, going back to my pistol.

“Y-Yeah, you try to make everyone think she’s just something of yours with your ‘my Nova’ this and ‘my Nova’ that, but you are going insane not having her here. I can see it on your face and in your rage about how that rich Rick, as you said, threw her away like garbage,” he ranted.

“L-Let’s just get your Aunt back okay?” I said dismissively, stowing my pistol back into its holster. “You can get all worked over feelings and shit when she’s safe.” I opened a portal in front of us, preparing myself for a fight as I stepped through.

Holy shit, was I unprepared for what I walked into. 

Rick W-358 was perched at his workbench, slumped over the table. Oh, and his entire fucking head was disintegrated from the laser contraption secured with a metal clip to the side of the desk. Something awfully similar to the one I had at home. Jesus.

“H-Hey Rick!” This dimension’s Morty was calling from elsewhere in the house. I grabbed my Morty, pulling him out of view from the garage just as he entered the grisly scene. “Hey, Ric- HOLY SHIT,” he shouted. My Morty and I shared a glance as W-358 Morty screamed for his mom. I opened a portal, disappearing on the other side.

“H-Holy shit Rick,” Morty gasped, bending over a trash can to vomit. “H-Holy shit. Don’t you have one of those at home?” he asked me with a horrified look. “W-Were you gon- A-a-are you gonna-”

“N-No Morty!” I sputtered. “I mean, it’s there if I e-ever needed it, but I have no immediate p-plans to.” 

“Jesus Christ, that poor Morty,” he lamented. 

“Y-You’re missing the point, Morty. That Rick obviously didn’t take Nova,” I changed the subject, lest I end up losing my breakfast too. “So that means either one of the Ricks from before, or someRick completely different.” I sat down on a nearby bench, resting my head in my hands as feelings of hopelessness finally crashed over me.

“S-So we go back to the Council. O-Or, m-maybe you could create a device to g-go through each dimension to find her. There’s gotta be something we can do,” Morty reasoned desperately. 

There was nothing Morty could say that would make me see sense, nothing. It was the gentle alarm going off in my cybernetic arm that finally washed those helpless feelings away.

Nova’s panic button was going off .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the next chapter all but ready to post, I had to make sure I didn't leave anything out in this one that would be glaring for the next. That being said, if any little minor edits pop up, that'll be why. Thank you so much for ready! I'll probably have the next one up sometime tomorrow!


	6. I Wanna Be Yours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aww shit, the t h r i l l i n g conclusion to the who kidnapped poor ickle Nova. Lmfao

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We gettin' there. There's like, an iota of heavy petting but I don't wanna give anything away. I just wanted to make sure that was clear.

* * *

+Nova+

* * *

I woke with a start, Faux Rick staring down at me desperately. I started to stand up, to try and storm out, but when my hands remained behind, I realized was tied to the chair. This… Rick had me in an empty room, but the filthy nature of it told me I was still in his disgusting apartment. The light was only provided by a small window to the outside, but it was so high up on the wall that I couldn’t quite see through it, let alone be able to climb through it. I quickly pushed the button on my hand, expecting my Rick to appear any second, but I was quickly dismayed as it vibrated my hand. Shit, wherever the hell I was, I guess it couldn’t reach him. As tears started to pour down my cheeks, the Rick in front of me bent down to wipe them away,

“I-I’m sorry for the restraints Nova,” he apologized. “I-I just didn’t want you to run away before I c-could explain myself.”

“Wh-Who are you? And don’t fucking say Rick. You’re not my Rick, my Rick would… probably never do this,” I asked, fighting back more tears.

“I-I’m Rick Q-236,” he offered, trying to barter favor by answering my questions. “I-I lost my Nova.”

“Okay and?” I blurted out. “How is that my problem? I’m not your Nova!” 

“Y-Y-You could be!” he pleaded. “I could take care of you, and love you.”

“N-No!? I have a daughter! I have a husband! I need to go home to my family!” I tried to reason with him desperately.

“Y-Yea, I saw your husband.” Faux Rick’s eyes narrowed. “It was all I could to not kill him right there. Y-You’re one of the Nova’s that married that asshole. I wouldn’t hurt you like he has, I promise.”

“You’re hurting me right now!” I shouted. “Tell me where I am, what happened to y-your Nova?” I hoped talking would buy me the time I needed to figure out a way to escape.

“Y-You’re on- on the Citadel of Ricks,” he explained hesitantly. “All of the Ricks from different dimensions formed a coalition where we could be safe from the Intergalactic Federation.” I searched my memory, trying to remember what, if anything, my Rick had said about him having a fucking citadel.

“So there’s nothing but Rick’s out there?” I asked, confused. “How in the hell does that work?” 

“Y-You’re Rick is considered the Rogue Rick,” he elaborated. “He is rash and emotional, the rest of us here are more even-tempered, as long as Ricks don’t step on other Rick toes, everyone gets along. Especially with all the Mortys here too.”

“Th-There are Mortys here too?” I asked incredulously. My heart ached for my alternate godsons. I could only hope a more even-tempered Rick meant they were kinder to him.

“Of course there’s Mortys here too. There’s even a handful of Nova’s too, though most of them stay in their own dimensions. They got fucked over too many times by too many fucked up Ricks.”

“Hmm, sounds pretty fucking familiar,” I shot at the Faux Rick in front of me. His gaze narrowed at me, that alleged even temper faltering.

“Look, you’re staying here with me,” he told me, springing more tears in my eyes. “I can’t live without my Nova.”

“What happened to her again? Did you tie her to a fucking chair until she lost her fucking mind too?” I demanded furiously.

“She’s just fucking gone, okay. I don’t want to fucking talk about it,” he shot back, his temper flaring.

“Fuck you,” I spat at him.

“Fine, I’ll leave you to your thoughts. You will come around, Nova. This is your home now.”

* * *

I sat in that room for hours, stubbornly staring at the wall. Faux Rick returned periodically to see if my disposition had changed at all.

It hadn’t.

“Look, why don’t you come out here and watch some interdimensional cable with me. That will lift your spirits.” He cut the rope that secured me to the chair but I was dismayed when I realized my hands were still tied. He sat me down next to him on his disgusting couch with my hands uselessly flopped onto my lap. Although, I was finally able to get a better look at the picture resting on his pillow.

“That’s my Nova,” he confirmed as I stared at it. This… “me” was thinner, but she looked infinitely happier. Quite a bit younger, too. “My” hair hung loosely around my shoulders as I smiled at the camera. It all looked familiar. The shirt bore a familiar logo, I wracked my brain, trying to remember where in the hell I remembered it from when it hit me like a ton of bricks.

It was my favorite band.

Memories of that day flooded my mind quickly. I had been at Beth’s house for the summer, we were going to see them that night. I was only seventeen in this picture.

“H-How long were you with your Nova?” I asked cautiously, looking up from the picture.

“I-I-I waited until she was twenty-one! I swear. I’m not a fucking creep,” he declared.

“I beg to disagree,” I shot back at him. 

When he didn’t reply, I turned my focus to the television. A confusing show was on, featuring sentient bicycles dealing with serious life issues. Despite myself, I couldn’t help getting invested in the show, almost relaxing into the couch.

“This is one of my favorite shows,” Faux Rick admitted softly. I ignored him, stiffening again, earning me a sigh of frustration. “Look Nova, h-how long is going to take to get you to accept this just going to be how it is?”

“Eternity for all intents and fucking purposes,” I shot back at him. “I want to go home. I want MY Rick.”

“You’re not going home,” he assured me. “I’m your Rick now.”

“Well then fuck you,” I told him simply, going back to ignoring him. He stood up from the couch angrily, stalking off to the kitchen. I tugged at the binds around my wrists, but they offered no give and at further investigation, they weren’t made out of regular rope. The tendrils were made of a shiny metallic material, so any plans of cutting it with anything other than the laser knife Faux Rick had were completely out the window. There was only one thing I could do.

Play along.

Rick returned to the couch caring a beer can and a bag of chips, flopping down next to me. I took a deep breath, steadying myself before resting my head on his shoulder. He flinched in surprise, and I sat up straight, trying my hardest to act embarrassed.

“S-Sorry, habit,” I lied with a murmur, looking up at him and hoping my eyes were portraying the confused longing I was going for. I was tapping into the desires I had about my Rick, the fantasies I would concoct while I zoned out watching TV. Not all of them were sexual, some of them were just fantasies of being close to him, and that’s how I was going to power my way through this.

“Y-You can relax- if you want,” he said, holding his arm out and inviting me into his embrace. I snuggled in closer, closing my eyes and picturing my Rick instead. Thankfully due to the obvious similarities, it was easy to allow myself the comfort. The smell of week-old body odor, however, was harder to ignore but if I wanted to get the fuck out of here, I was going to have to push past it.

The TV filled the awkward silence between us, but I could feel Rick’s eyes on me again. I put the apprehension I was feeling into a mental box, opting to deal with it later as I looked up at him purposefully. I invoked all of my memories of the romantic comedies I’d watched in my life, trying to make sure this was all as convincing as possible. The love in his eyes was almost too much to bear, and I had to remind myself this wasn’t my Rick. Sure, that may seem counterproductive for right now, but I didn’t want to get attached to that kind of expectation when I got home. I moved closer to him, leading him into a kiss only to pull away at the last second. In part, it was intentional. I wanted to make sure the moment had the right weight. But I also couldn’t fight the part of me that didn’t want my first kiss with Rick, this Rick or my Rick, to be like this. Regardless, as Rick leaned in again, it seemed I didn’t have any other option.

Shoving back my apprehension back into the mental box I’d made for it, I turned back to him, pushing my lips to his, comforting myself by thinking only of my Rick as our tongues mashed together. This allowed me to come alight with passion, my eagerness something I would have to sort through later. I started to move my hands up toward him, only to remember they were still bound. I raised them to him, feigning desperation. He cut them quickly before tossing the laser knife back onto the coffee table. 

He picked me up, resting me gently on my back as he deepened his kiss, his hands fumbling all over my body. My mind went back to my Rick and with my hands-free, I started running my hands through his hair. Feeling him this close, even if it wasn’t the one I knew, was starting to cement everything I’d been feeling for the past few weeks. 

Was I in love with-

I was shoving the thought as far away as possible when my hand brushed against the panic button again, but there was no vibration. With both of my hands behind his head, I pulled him in closer and pushed the back of my hand until it hurt more than I could take.

Still no vibration. 

Thank fucking god.

My heart raced as hope coursed through me, but I was dismayed when he didn’t immediately appear as promised. I swallowed my hope and continued returning the passion of the desperate Rick on top of me. We shifted, hitting the remote and turning the volume of the TV up to the max.

“The neighbor Ricks won’t want to hear us anyway.” Rick murmured, tossing the remote away with a devilish grin. My heart almost stopped as I realized where Rick thought this was going to go. How foolish was I to think this was only going to be a heated make-out session, especially with the lustful way he was looking over my entire body.

With the TV blaring, I was completely unaware of the portal erupting within the room. Rick’s hand had found my elastic waistband, tucking underneath in search of the warmth within. I braced myself for the inevitability when Rick was suddenly being lifted from on top of me. Cool air filled the space he previously had occupied as I sought out my savior. The first face I saw was Morty. He looked horrified, and I’m sure his aunt making out with his grandfather, whether the real one or some alternate version of him was not exactly what he had been expecting to see. A fight was occurring to his left, my Rick throwing Faux Rick into the television, removing the dulcet sounds of whatever show was on after the sentient bikes and replacing it with gruff shouting.

“What the fuck did you think was going to happen you stupid piece of shit?” my Rick growled as he pummeled the Faux Rick into the ground. “You didn’t deserve to look at her, let alone have your hands all over her!” Morty grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the way just as Faux Rick, gained the upper hand throwing my Rick into the couch almost exactly where I’d been sitting.

“Why couldn’t you just leave her here?” Faux Rick roared as my Rick picked himself off the ground. “You haven’t even told her yet! Sh-She doesn’t know how you feel!”

My Rick stood, wiping the blood from his mouth, sneering at Faux Rick, “What’s your fucking point? She would still rather be with me, in her own fucking home than in this trash heap.” The two Ricks were evenly matched, only pacing in circles as they shouted insults at each other.

“She was just fine with me until you showed up!” Faux Rick sneered smugly, “Besides, why the fuck would she want to go home to her abusive fucking husband?” Faux Rick shot at my Rick. “I cannot fucking believe you let her marry Ryan, you fucking imbecile.”

“I wasn’t fucking around when that happened,” my Rick bellowed, “I can’t undo everything that’s happened to her, but at least I’ve made her safe now. I wouldn’t have been able to find her if I hadn’t.” He was smug as he lunged for Faux Rick, pinning him to the remnants of the couch and returning to his brutal assault. The two tossed each other around, rolling around on the floor together, trying to gain the upper hand.

“You are a pathetic, disgraceful fucking excuse for a Rick,” Faux Rick berated my Rick, punctuating each word with a blow. I picked up the picture of Faux Rick’s Nova and chucked it at the back of his hand, distracting him long enough to allow my Rick to flip him back over.

“Y-You think you can come into my dimension, take my Nova a-and do whatever the FUCK you’ve been doing that would get you on t-top of h-her.” My Rick’s voice was quiet and purposeful. He refused to look at me, but I could hear his voice crack as he spoke. He continued delivering blows to Faux Rick, each resulting in less response from the bloodied man beneath him than the last. The sounds were becoming more squish than blunt and I knew if I let this continue, he would kill him.

“Rick! Stop!” I pleaded as I rushed to his side. He looked at me with a look of manic rage, questioning my interruption. A look of hurt passed over his features as he regarded me before he turned away, returning to the meat pie Faux Rick’s face was becoming. “If you kill him, I won’t find out what he did to his Nova!” I begged, and with a final punch, he finally relented.

He pulled a pair of cybernetic handcuffs out of his bloodied lab coat and secured them around his wrists. Once the Rick was secure and groaning on the floor, Rick stood and stared at me, a myriad of emotions passing over his face. A look of heartbreak twisted his features before he hesitantly pulled me into an embrace. I clung to him desperately, resisting when he tried to pull away. I was surprised to find tears cutting through the blood smeared over his face, but he quickly rectified that, clearing his throat and surveying the room. Morty wore a look of concern as he watched us but he quickly masked it, offering a smile in its place.

“Au-Aunt Nova,” he breathed, as Rick searched the remnants of the apartment. “Are you okay, wh-what did he do to you? Did he-”

“No, he didn’t,” I assured him firmly. “C-Can we just go home?” I asked weakly, turning to Rick as all my adrenaline and energy drained from my body at once.

“We will. We have to finish up here first and get you cleaned up. Then I’ll take you home,” he assured me, pocketing a couple of broken gadgets before pulling out his portal gun. He punched some numbers in and we walked through a portal to a grand room with six very tall thrones, all with Ricks perched upon them.

“Rick N-682, I see you had some luck,” a Rick with three large pointed spikes of blue hair coming out of the sides and top of his head. “Is that the culpRick?” Rick nodded, throwing Faux Rick down in front of us for six Ricks to see.

“Aunt Nova,” Morty nudged me to get my attention, “This is the council of Ricks, Riq IV, Quantum Rick, Rick Prime, Maximums Rickmus, Zeta Alpha Rick, and Ricktiminus Sacheziminius,” Morty explained in a hushed tone, indicating one by one as he listed off the names. The ones called Quantum Rick and Zeta Alpha Rick were watching me with a distant wistful look in their eyes as the one called Riq IV spoke to my Rick. “They are the governing body of the Citadel of Ricks.” I nodded quickly, thankful for the knowledge.

“Rick Q-236, you’ve been charged with taking a Nova from her rightful dimension without her Rick’s consent,” Riq IV announced, “How do you plead?” The Rick on the floor gargled in response. “You poor, stupid bastard, you’ll be dead within the hour. No Rick is going to help a Rick who steals Novas. I hope your last moments are of relentless suffering.” He condemned the man. My Rick looked pleased with the results, ready to portal out of the hall but I had one last question.

“S-Sir, R-Riq IV?” I asked nervously, stopping my Rick in his tracks as Riq IV peered down at me inquisitively, offering his full attention. “I-I just had one question, what happened to this Rick’s N-Nova?”

“Computer, locate Rick Q-236’s Nova,” he ordered the enormous computer to his left. A file popped up in the corner, with the same Nova from the picture, albeit much older, with blaring red letters that read ALIVE. “It looks like she’s in her own dimension. I guess she left this dumb bastard,” Riq IV spat at the Rick sprawled on the floor. A tear streaked down Faux- Rick Q-236’s cheek as he looked up at her picture on the screen.

“I’m s-sorry Nova,” he coughed, “I j-just m-missed her.” I looked down at him, unable to stop the small pity I felt for him.

“I-Is anyone going to tell her?” I asked, looking back up at them. “Or are one of you going to snatch her up like he did to me?” Anger was seeping into my tone, and any small pity I had for Q-236 was replaced by sympathy for his Nova. When they didn’t respond, I turned to my Rick in a huff. “Get me away from these assholes.” He obliged, portalling us to a small doctor's office that appeared to be closed for the night. I sighed as I realized I was still on this goddamn citadel. “If I never see this place again, it’ll be too fucking soon,” I grumbled as I grabbed medical supplies. I started cleaning the blood off of Rick, but he quickly grabbed the gauze, opting to do it himself instead.

“You and me both sister,” he murmured, working methodically. I offered my help again, but he declined, turning away from me. He was acting perfectly friendly, but I could tell he was mentally a thousand miles away. Once most of the blood was gone, he went on the hunt for a spray that he said would heal most of his wounds. His absence left Morty and me alone together in awkward silence, as I tried to decipher what the fuck was up with Rick. A small voice in the back of my mind kept coming back to Nova Q-236 though, worried about some desperate Rick trying to take advantage of her Ricklessness.

“Y-Y-You wanna warn that Nova, don’t you?” he asked softly, resting his hand in mine and leaning against me. I wrapped my arm around him, returning his awkward side hug and nodded with a whimper. “T-tell Rick. A-After seeing him today, I don’t think he would want this happening to another Nova.” Morty and I broke apart when Rick returned, handing me the aerosol can so I could spray the open gash down his back, most likely a result of being launched into that filthy couch.

“Rick, can I ask for one more favor?” I started hesitantly as he pulled his jacket back on and pulled out his portal gun. He sighed and nodded. “C-can we go see that Nova? Can we warn her?”

He sighed again as though he’d been expecting the request, pulling out his portal gun. He opened a portal into his garage, only it didn’t look the same anymore. There were no gadgets strewn across the room haphazardly like the one at home and it lacked the vague aroma of spirits I had become accustomed to. In fact, this garage looked more like it did when Jerry had control over it and it finally dawned on me, this was a dimension a Rick left.

_ Oh, Beth _ .

Still, when we went outside, we saw Madison leaving the Smith household to go home, ensuring me that this me at least still lived here. Morty stopped both of us as we approached the house. “This Aunt Nova left her Rick, so she’s not going to want to see you Rick, and seeing herself might cause her to have a breakdown or something, let me talk to her first, okay?” Rick really must have been exhausted, because he didn’t even argue, allowing Morty to go up to the door as we tucked ourselves behind the car. He rang the doorbell, nervously peaking into the windows before Nova appeared, and I couldn’t help but stare as I watched the two interact. She was just as calm and nurturing to Morty as I always hoped I was. Her eyes flicked to our hiding spot as they spoke but, unfortunately, the closest hiding spot was too far to hear their conversation. Morty and Q-236 Nova seemed to realize the same and panic coursed through me as they crossed the yard to greet us.

“H-Hi?” I said to myself, trying to keep my shit together at the idea of having to literally talk to myself. “I-I’m, well I’m you.” I started awkwardly, looking desperately to Rick for help with the words that just would not come. Morty was worried about the wrong Nova freaking out over meeting herself it seemed, my head was reeling just at the sight of her.

“H-Hey Nova,” Rick started bluntly, “I’m Rick N-682 and this Nova here had a run-in with your Rick.” A look of pain crossed her face before she repressed them back down with a hard swallow and nodded. “N-Nova got a taste of what desperate Rick’s are capable of, so she just wanted to let you know to keep your eye out. Y-Your Rick is dead, but the council knows. So, yeah. Just a little heads up.” She nodded as she looked at me, eyes filled with sympathy.

“I’m sorry,” she said, a tear finally running down her cheek.

“I- I have to ask, why did you leave? H-He wasn’t too keen to say,” I asked gently, trying not to be a brash as Rick.

“He-He didn’t want the same thing I did. I got pregnant with Madi, I don’t know if you have y-your own Madi, but her father was killed years ago in a car accident. I wanted to have more children. He didn’t,” she explained.

“I have a Madi, only Ryan didn’t die.” Internally, I cursed the luck of this dimension. “Believe me when I tell you it’s for the better,” I assured her.

“I’ve met Nova’s who’s Ryan’s lived before, I know,” she nodded. “But, y-you’ve got your Rick now, so it’s going to be okay.” She smiled, tears forming in her eyes.

“Alright, you guys done?” Rick said rudely, opening a portal and ushering Morty and me through it. This time we were in our garage, in our dimension, solidified for me by the goofy smile I’d drawn on Rick’s work table. Morty bid us goodnight as Rick and I stood awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

“Thank you,” I murmured the silence getting to be too much. Rick looked at me sharply before shaking his head.

“Don’t thank me,” he groaned, sitting down in his chair, pulling out his flask and taking a long drink.

“I’m going to thank you, dick,” I replied with a playful smile. “I only had my feminine wiles to get me out of there.”

“Yeah, I noticed that,” he growled, taking another swig.

“M-My panic button wasn’t working,” I told him, embarrassed by his tone. “I didn’t think you were going to be able to find me.”

“L-Look, on some deep level, I know that. Doesn’t mean it didn’t fucking suck to see,” he sighed, draining his flask and pulling out a bottle of clear liquid from under his desk.

“I-I don’t know what you want me to say,” I mumbled.

“There’s nothing to say, Nova. I fucked up, I should’ve given it interdimensional range. I should’ve-” He paused a moment, taking another long swig and considered his words before continuing. “J-Just, let’s drop it, okay? You’re home now, so… why don’t you go there.” His words were cold and he turned away from me, shutting down any conversion from continuing.

“I-I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked, coming to the edge of the garage.

“Y-Yeah, see you tomorrow,” he waved dismissively, drinking deeply from the bottle in front of him. I rubbed the spot on my hand, hearing the small alarm. He didn’t react though, instead just continuing to drown his sorrow and guilt. 

When I opened the door, I was not expecting to find a very upset Ryan sitting on the couch. rocking back and forth. I sighed at the sight, wanting only to go upstairs and more than likely cry myself to sleep. Instead, Ryan was looking up at me, a distraught look distorting his face.

Oh fucking great.

“(Y/N), it’s two in the goddamn morning,” he said exasperated. “I told you we needed to talk, we can’t do that if you’re dodging me.”

“I-I’m sorry Ryan,” I sighed, straining to show any kind of concern for his feelings at the moment. “I just had one hell of a day, let’s talk.”

“Wh-What happened?” he asked, looking me over nervously. “Did you get hurt out there with Rick?”

“N-No, I’m fine. It’s just been a bad day,” I assured him, completely deflated.

“(Y/N), maybe you should tell Rick you don’t want to hang out anymore?” Ryan suggested earnestly.

“No!” I urged, “I-I like hanging out with Rick.” My words earned a twitch from my husband, a vicious rage flooding his face before a caring expression reemerged. My eyes widened at his reaction. 

“(Y/N), m-maybe we need to take a break.” Ryan mourned, looking back at his hands. “Y-You’re not happy here. Maybe you need some time to figure out what you want.”

“R-Ryan, wait, what?” My face flushed at being called out, although the excitement was leaking through me at the thought of finally being free, even slightly. “What about Madison?” I murmured.

“She won’t be home until the end of the summer. Hopefully, we’ll have everything sorted out by then,” he smiled hopelessly at me before returning to his hands. I went upstairs, collecting a couple of necessities and shoved them in a duffle before returning downstairs. 

“If there’s anything else you need, you’re more than welcome to get it when I’m not here, I just- (Y/N) I can’t see you right now,” he told me sadly. “J-Just go to Beth’s or something.” 

I picked up my bag, completely at a loss and grabbed my keys. I turned to speak again but was cut off with a sharp finger pointed at the door. I conceded and left the house. I hoped to find Rick still in the garage, but the garage door had been closed, and no light peeked from underneath. Instead, I went to the front door, flipping through my keys for Beth’s and let myself in. I crept through the dark house, scaring the everliving fuck out of Summer who was scrounging for a late-night snack with her headphones in. 

“Au-Aunt Nova!?” she exclaimed. I clamped my hand over her mouth to stop her from waking the whole house. “What are you doing here?”

“I need a place to stay,” I calmed her. “I was just going to set up on the couch-”

“Let me get Mom,” she said flatly, disappearing down the hall to her mother’s room. They reappeared, Beth beaming despite her sleepy eyes.

“You finally did it didn’t you?” she asked, cupping my face in her hands.

“A-Actually, he kicked me out,” I told her sheepishly, shying away from her hands.

“This isn’t Dad’s fault is it?” Her tone quickly switched to anger, yelling for her father. Rick appeared looking drunk and disgruntled, swaying as he looked at her.

“Wha-uuuuuuuuuuurp-at in the fuck are you yelling about,” he slurred.

“Ryan kicked Nova out, you wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with that, do you?” she asked coolly, staring at her father.

“*urrrp* No, not me this time kiddo,” he replied, turning away from his daughter to go back to his garage.

“Nova will be staying here temporarily!” she shouted after him. “Just, please, try to be respectful!” A door slam was her only response as she turned to look at me, a smile returning to her face. “Let’s get you settled. You can use Jerry’s office.”

“N-No, it’s okay, I’ll just sleep out here on the couch,” I insisted. When she protested further, I put my foot down. “There’s a TV, it’ll help me sleep.” Finally relenting, she grabbed a blanket and a couple of pillows from the closet, setting the couch up for me. She bid me goodnight, leaving me to the TV and my thoughts. Unsurprised to find another interdimensional cable box, I flipped through the endless channels, finally ending up on an episode of the show Shameless, but instead of humans, it was corn. 

Just as I started drifting off, the sounds of Rick stumbling to his bedroom stirred me awake. I listened as he swore, tripping over some inane obstacle before appearing in the archway to the living room.

“Ah, Cornless,” he remarked. His face was unreadable as he looked at me, sliding down to the floor directly in front of me to watch with me. “Don’t go back,” he slurred unexpectedly without so much as a glance in my direction. “Y-You could st-stay here. Stay with m-m-me,” he stammered. I was completely silent, thankful he wouldn’t remember this conversation in the morning.

“You don’t know what you’re saying Rick,” I dismissed him, returning my attention to the screen.

“I saw what happens to Ricks that have lost their Novas today,” he barreled through. “I-If I can’t get there in time, i-if that dampener shorts out. He’s gonna kill you, Nova,” he told me with an unsettling certainty. “Don’t go back.”

He didn’t say anything else, standing up and heading to his room. He spared one last glance back at me, still completely unreadable before disappearing through the archway.


	7. Do You Feel It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh shit, we gon' meet Unity. (I had to, come on now.) Also, there's some other stuff, the whole chapter isn't Unity shenanigans, I'm basically using her. OHWELL.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T H I N G S A R E S T A R T I N G T O G E T S M U T T Y  
> We don't get far, yet, but I couldn't let Faux Rick be the only one to get a piece of Nova. ;D  
> Oh, I think it goes without saying this fic regards canon more along the lines of:  
> "Oh, that's a nice storyline you got there, mind if I just.... take it and rework it for my own silly needs?"  
> I mean, I referenced the pilot and then Morty going to the citadel and COMPLETELY skipped over Rick Potion Number 9.  
> But  
> That's not to say it'll never come back. 😎

Waking up in the Smith house was bizarre. It had been years since I’d had the pleasure, but these days things were a lot different. I woke up most mornings to Summer flipping through channels while simultaneously nose deep in her phone, most likely already texting Madison. She would always apologize when the volume woke me up, but still every morning the volume would inch up until sleep was impossible. The days would be spent hanging out with Beth if she was free or Rick if he wasn’t being completely moody, which was happening more often than not lately. He assured me he wasn’t upset with me for doing what I had to do to get away from the Rick that kidnapped me, but now and then I would catch him giving me that same unreadable look he gave me the first night I got here.

Another morning, another loud MTV reality show, and I was at my wit's end. I rolled over to give Summer a piece of my mind only to find Rick intently focused on whatever dating show rerun was on.

“The fuck are you watching?” I grumbled, sitting up and rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

“Oh good, you’re awake,” he said, flicking the screen off and standing up. “We’ve got shit to do today in the Blickblarten System.” He disappeared to his garage, Summer replacing him.

“Oh thank god,” she mumbled, plopping back down in her usual place now that Rick had vacated it. She flipped the TV back on, the brazen tones coming from it propelling me from the couch to continue waking up in peace. As I did my business in the bathroom, I flipped through messages from Madi. She was surprisingly silent on the separation front but I suspected that had to do with the fact she was a smart girl. She knew that things at home weren’t… right. Not that she had the best marriage role models between Beth and I. Beth and Jerry weren’t quite as dysfunctional as Ryan and I, but she was still struggling in her own ways. I wished there was something I could do to help her, but short of leaving her husband as well, I was fresh out of good ideas. 

An urgent knock on the bathroom door broke me out of my reverie as Rick started shouting on the other side. “Nova, what the fuck, we have shit to do!” He already sounded frustrated so I finished up, flushing the toilet as I flung the door open, hoping to match his frustration. He glared down at me, but his defense quickly crumbled as that unreadable look reemerged. “C-Come on, let's just go already,” he growled, turning away.

“I’m not dressed,” I shouted after him, heading to Jerry’s office to grab my clothes. Beth may have conceded to let me sleep on her couch, but she insisted I let her keep my things somewhere more private. He huffed, leaning against the wall to wait for me. His attitude was starting to get to me this morning, so I took extra care to take just a little bit longer picking out something to wear.

“We-We’re not going to a fucking ball- just pick something and let's go-” he yelled as he barged in impatiently. Still in my underwear and bra, instead of getting embarrassed, I wanted to test the waters after everything that had happened. I stared at him intently as I bent over, picking up my shirt slowly. He watched carefully as I pulled it over my head, pulling it down very slowly to cover the top half of my body. The look he gave me was a little more readable, shifting from the frustration from earlier to one of astonishment. He turned away, his cheeks redder than I’d ever seen them. My attempt to elicit a reaction from him successful, I finished getting ready, pulling on my yoga pants and running shoes and meeting him at the door. He didn’t say a word as he led me to the garage and it seemed, to my dismay, that his frustration had returned, as he climbed into his ship and slammed the door behind him.

“You know, you can’t expect me to just wake up and be ready to go just because you are,” I scolded him as I opened the passenger side door. Before climbing in, I surveyed the garage, looking for our usual companion on these adventures. “Where’s Morty?” I asked, finally climbing into the passenger seat and looking in the back seat.

“He didn’t want to go,” he told me gruffly with a shrug, starting the engine and flying out of the garage. 

“Since when do you accept that kind of response from him?” I questioned cautiously. Morty had little to no choice when it came to going anywhere with his grandfather. Panic started to wash over me as memories of the last time a Rick ushered me out of my home without a Morty anywhere to be seen resurfaced. I quickly pressed the spot on the back of my hand, immediately thinking the worst of the Rick next to me. The alarm started blaring on Rick’s arm, and I let out a sigh of relief. 

“Don’t worry, it’s really me,” he sighed, disengaging the alarm and glancing over at me. Space was flying by us, offering no real scenery to lose myself in as we sped through.

“Well, you had me fooled,” I shot back at him, “You’ve been acting really weird Rick. What the hell is up with you?”

“N-Nothing,” he denied unconvincingly. “This is just how I am, get used to it.” My eyes narrowed at him in an instant.

“The fuck do you mean this is just how you are? You weren’t like this before the citadel. I thought we went over this, I was trying to get away from that asshole, I wasn’t into him or whatever,” I snarled at him.

“And I thought I told you I didn’t care about that shit Nova,” Rick countered dismissively. “It fucking sucks, but you had to do what you had to do. I can’t blame you for that.”

“Still sure feels like you are though,” I bit back at him coldly. He didn’t respond, outside of pulling out his flask and taking a long drink. “I wish you would just tell me what the fuck is wrong.”

He turned to consider me a moment, trying to stay angry, but it seemed he couldn’t. That same unreadable goddamn stupid ass fucking look covered his face again and I sighed in frustration, conceding I would get nowhere with him today. I was coming to terms with a silent Rick adventure when he abruptly slammed the gear shift into hover mode and pulled me over to him, pushing his lips onto mine desperately. Stunned at first, I quickly recovered and returned his kiss eagerly. 

Oh, that makes more sense.

Wasting no time, I mounted his lap as his hands ran up under the back of my shirt. He was kissing me like it was the only way he was going to keep breathing, and I returned his passion twofold. He moved away from my mouth, kissing down my neck only to be stopped the hem of the t-shirt I was wearing. I groaned in frustration, preparing to lock my fingers around the hem to pull it off when I blinding light filled the cab of the spaceship, accompanied by a shrill alarm.

“Rick, what the fuck is happening?” I screamed as the ship started being pulled upward. He let out a frustrated groan, nudging me to move off of him. He took the craft out of hover and tried to fight the pull of the beam to no avail. I covered my ears against the blaring alarm as we were enveloped by a much larger ship. Rick immediately pulled out his portal gun, ready to cut our losses as a loud, almost sultry voice rang out of a speaker to our left, freezing him in his tracks.

“Hey, Rick.”

* * *

“Goddammit Unity, couldn’t you have just sent out a signal or something? You scared the shit out of us,” Rick yelled at the man that had been sent down to greet us. He was tall, with purple and green reptilian skin, but as he helped me out of the ship I was surprised to find him soft to the touch. 

“Who’s this?” the man regarded me coldly, and I swore I heard the jealousy in his tone. 

“Unity, this Nova,” Rick introduced us hesitantly. “Nova, this is… Unity. They’re a-a hivemind.”

“A hivemind?” I asked, completely confused. “Like The Faculty?” 

“Th-The Faculty?” Rick sputtered. “That’s a really old reference, but I mean, sure, kind of?” 

“Nova?” Unity asked hesitantly, “The Nova?”

Rick sighed, looking between the two of us. “Yeah, Une, the Nova.” The man’s eyes lit up, grabbing my hand gleefully.

“Oh, I have heard so much about you,” he squealed, dragging me higher up into the ship, leaving a stunned Rick in our wake. “So he finally went back, did he? How long did it take him to finally talk to you when he got back?” Unity asked eagerly, leading me through a small crowd of his people who all turned to smile knowingly at me.

“I-I don’t know what you mean? I saw him on the first day he was back,” I told him. He brought me to what looked like a captain’s cabin of the enormous ship, leaving me with an admittedly attractive female of his species who sat me down on her large bed.

“That’s great! He used to talk about you constantly-” The Unity female continued the conversation seamlessly before Rick barged through the door.

“N-No, Une, stop. D-Don’t- j-just stop talking- to her,” he begged the woman, glaring up at him.

“I will do no such thing, Rick Sanchez,” she chastised him, “I had to listen to you babble about her every night when you got drunk off your ass, so I deserve the chance to actually get to know her. I will give you one thing, she is absolutely gorgeous.” I blushed at the woman’s kind words, smiling meekly up at Rick.

“W-We were in the middle of s-something you know, wh-when you interrupted.” His eyes flitted to me desperately, but I had no help I could offer him. I was too curious about Unity. “You could’ve sent out a friendly message or something.” He was getting more and more flustered by the minute, trying his hardest to stop any conversation between Unity and me.

“I did Rick, you didn’t answer,” she said, furrowing her brow, “I wasn’t even sure it was you so I figured it was either you or a new member of my family. Win-Win. But I definitely wasn’t expecting her.” Unity eyed me again, seeming to want to commit me to memory. 

“Y-Yeah, well you’ve met her,” Rick smiled hesitantly. “N-Now come on Nova, we have to be getting to Blickbarten System. It was nice seeing you Une.” 

“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” Unity said calmly, standing up to confront him. “Stay for a while, there’s no need to rush.”

“Y-Yeah there is,” he insisted, grabbing my arm to pull me out of there.

“We have fractal dust,” she told him, a smirk playing on her face when he stopped, dropping my wrist and turning back to her. “Stay, hang out for a while.”

“N-Nova, you’ll be alright with Unity, a-alright? It-It’s been years since I’ve been able to get my hands on some fractal dust.” His eyes lit up with excitement as Unity gently pulled me back onto the bed with her and another of her species entered and led Rick down a small spiral staircase.

“Relax Nova, Rick’s just downstairs,” Unity smiled calmly.

“O-Okay.” I tried willing myself to relax at Unity’s request.

It wasn’t working.

“So. Nova. Tell me about yourself,” Unity asked curiously like this was a slumber party and I was the new kid in town.

“I-I’ve known Rick since I was a kid,” I stammered, “I’m not that interesting.”

“I’m sure he’d beg to disagree,” she smirked wickedly.

“I’m a lot more interested in you though, how do you know Rick?” I asked her, desperate to change the topic to anything but me.

“We dated- briefly,” she explained simply, “He was incredible, but I had aspirations, I wanted to take over a nice planet and really settle down.”

“Th-That’s nice,” I offered nervously. For how curious I was about her, any questions I wanted to ask her had turned into mush in my brain. “I-Is that why you broke up?”

“Not necessarily. He also wouldn’t shut the hell up about you!” Her tone briefly became manic before she cleared her throat delicately and continued. “I-I mean, how’s a hivemind supposed to feel wanted when the object of their affection is clearly hung up on someone else!?” she lamented bitterly, “Nothing against you sweetheart, it hurt back then, but I’m okay now,” she assured me with a pat on my back.

“O-Okay,” I sputtered.

“So are you guys a thing? Or are you still in that awkward phase of will they won’t they or something?” she asked as she stood up, fluffing her hair in the mirror. 

“I- uh- we’re not really anything as far as I know.” It was my turn to be flustered.

“You mean to tell me that ‘something’ you were in the middle of wasn’t a hot bout of grandpa fuckin’?” She turned and giggled at me, causing my face to go completely red.

“N-N-No!” I denied loudly, “I-I mean, we kissed, b-b-but we did-didn’t f-fu-”

“Fuck sweetie, you can say it,” she said condescendingly as she returned to her mirror to apply her lipstick. “So if you guys aren’t a thing, you mind if I hit it on a rebound? He is looking a lot better than I remembered.”

“I-I, I mean, that’s really up to him.” I was floored at her request, and a part of my mind was screaming at me to shut the fuck up, to tell her no, but she grinned at my ‘permission’, turning to face me again.

“Oh goodie, I know he can’t resist me,” she smiled smugly, spritzing herself with a bottle of perfume from her vanity. “You want me to send one of me of your preferred gender up for you to have fun with? No judgment sweetheart.”

“I-Uh, no, that’s okay. Th-Thanks,” I assured her. She shrugged, turning away and leaving me alone in her room.

* * *

+Rick+

* * *

Jesus fucking christ, fucking Unity. 

Of all the times for my past to come back to haunt me, why did it have to be now? I finally decide to make my move and she just has to come through with the cockblock. I could still feel Nova’s skin, her weight, hell, her scent as she mounted me. Fuck, I could’ve blown my load right there. Now Nova was up there gossiping with my ex about god knows what embarrassing shit. She just had to have fractal dust on hand, didn’t she? I hadn’t had that since the last time I was with her. It was probably the only thing that would’ve gotten me to leave Nova there with her.

A male Unity led me to a small lounge where another of her subjects had lines set up for me, ready to go. My mouth was watering as I sat down on the uncomfortably plush couch, leaning forward and doing a line. The world swirled around me as the husks Unity was possessing surrounded me, a hot Redhead, a guy with blue hair and the guy that initially greeted us took their own hits. I sunk back into the couch, letting the effects of the drug overtake my body, grateful for the feeling of release I was finally getting. It felt like my body was truly starting to relax

“Hey, Rick,” a sultry voice came from beside me. I struggled to turn my head, but when it finally moved, I was surprised to see the Captain Unity husk eyeing me like she was ready to eat me alive.

“H-Hey Une, where’s Nova?” I asked lazily, turning my head back to the ceiling to watch as the dots on the ceiling danced around above me.

“She’s fine, Rick. She wanted me to come and check on you.” She dragged her fingers up and down my chest as she spoke, sending shivers down my spine.

“Did she now?” I asked with a smile. That’s my Nova, always trying to take care of me. I smiled to myself as thoughts of Nova seemed to come to life in front of me. Images of her bringing me coffee first thing in the morning, even memories I’d concocted of my own, like her draping a blanket over me when I’d passed out at my workbench. She was too good to me. Unity watched me as I reminisced, continuing to walk her fingers over me. My mind warped Captain Unity into Nova, and I allowed her to bring her hand up under my shirt. Her touch was sending more chills through my entire body. 

“Oh, Nova,” I murmured, looking over at her. She smiled uncomfortably at me but didn’t stop touching me. I guided her over to me, bringing her to rest on my lap as she closed the gap between us, kissing me with the same rough passion from earlier. I brought my hands up, pushing her shirt up to feel the delicate muscles in her back as she moved on top of me.

“You wanna do another line?” Nova whispered against my ear, before leaning over to grab the tray from the table in front of us. I nodded quickly, grabbing the bill I had used earlier. This hit instilled euphoria in me and as soon as she sat the tray safely back on the table, I picked her up and rested her back on the couch. I tugged her shirt up over her head, tossing it away from us as I eagerly returned to her chest. Her bra still stood between us, and as buried my face in her hair and reached around her back for the clasp, I finally started noticing something was wrong. I pulled away, realizing Nova smelled an awful lot like the cheap perfume Unity used to always wear when we were together. I blinked repeatedly until the Nova in front of me turned back into the Captain Unity she truly was. 

“Unity? What the fuck are you doing?” I recoiled back from her, grabbing her shirt and throwing it back at her. 

“You can call me by her name if you want. I don’t mind,” she pleaded, crawling over the couch to me and grabbing the lapels of my lab coat. “I’ve never minded, I swear,” she murmured in my ear

“Ugh, no. Stop. Get away from me.” I pushed her back onto the couch. My adrenaline was lessening the effects of the fractal dust as the different husks around me glared at me sadly. “Where’s Nova?” I asked sharply, wiping the leftover saliva away from my mouth.

“Sh-She’s upstairs,” Captain Unity relented, pointing to the stairs to her room pitifully. I stormed up to find Nova, pulling my flask out in an attempt to get the taste of Unity out of my mouth. I burst through the door to find Nova sitting sadly on the bed, looking very unsure of how she even got there in the first place.

“C-Come on Nova, we’ve gotta go,” I growled, grabbing her hand and leaving the room.

“R-Rick? What happened?” she asked fearfully as I pulled her behind me, ignoring all of the Unity husks approaching me.

“We’ve gotta get the fuck outta here,” I seethed, “I knew staying here was a bad fucking idea.” 

“Wh-what happened?” 

“L-Look, I’ll explain once we’re far away from here, okay?” My head was still spinning when we finally made it to the ship and I hesitated by the driver’s side door. “You can drive a stick, right? It’s not that hard, I’m just- I’m rollin’ pretty fucking hard and I’m gonna need you to fly us out of here.”

“I-I can try,” she swallowed her fear as I boosted her into my seat before making my way around to the passenger seat. The engine started, but the bay door beneath us didn’t open.

“Unity, open this fucking door!” I roared, rolling down the window.

“Come on Rick! Just stay for a little while!” the blue-haired Unity asked desperately, “It could be like old times!”

“N-Now!” I shouted viciously. The blue-haired Unity hung his head, opening the bay door, allowing us to fall through. “A-Alright, Nova, listen to me.” I directed her through the basics of flying as we lazily fell through space. She caught on quickly, rocketing us out into the expanse of space. Once Unity’s ship had disappeared behind us, she slowed, shifting into hover mode.

“You wanna explain to me what the fuck that was all about?” she asked eyes narrowed as she turned to me.

“Wh-What the fuck did you say to Unity?” I shot back at her.

“Nothing!” she exclaimed, “She was asking if w-we were a th-thing and I told her no!”

“Anything else?” I pressed, “Anything that would explain why she came down and hopped on my lap?” I lied. She didn’t need to know all the details and I likely wouldn’t remember them for much longer anyway.

“She asked if I minded if she tried to hit that on the rebound. I-I told her that it would be up to you,” she revealed shamefully, “What. Happened?” 

“Well, she did try. She went with the tried and true method of getting me really fucking high and trying to jump my bones,” I told her, disgusted with Unity for being so goddamn brazen.

“D-did you guys-”

“No!” I stopped her. “I realized- I stopped her.”

Shit.

“What did you realize Rick?” She pressed.

The fractal dust still in my system was back in full effect now that I wasn’t pumping through adrenaline and I couldn’t stop myself from continuing. “I realized she wasn’t you, okay?”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

“Look Rick, that kiss-”

“Nova, if you’re about to tell me it doesn’t have to mean anything then you haven’t been paying attention to anything that’s been happening,” I told her flatly, not letting her finish.

“B-But, Unity-”

I stopped her this time with a kiss, unwilling to hear another word about what she thought I wanted. I couldn’t believe I didn’t realize it wasn’t her sooner, just by the taste of her mouth. Nova was warm and comforting where Unity had been cold. I’d chalk it up now to be the reptilian life form she had been inhabiting, but I still couldn’t believe it hadn’t been a dead giveaway. Nova crossed the cab again, resting in my lap. I made quick work of her top, tossing it back into the seat next to me. Her skin was soft against my lips as I traced around the curves of her breasts. She tilted her head back, moaning from my touch.

“Rick,” she hissed as I bit her gently. Her hips gyrated slowly against me, and I couldn’t stop myself as I brought my hands up to her breasts. I had to take a deep breath to stop myself from ravaging her right here in this ship. As I paused, she took control, tilting forward again to find my neck. She nibbled gently, and a shudder shook my entire body as my hand tightened around her breast.

“Ship, recline the passenger seat and remove armrests,” I ordered, my voice shaky. It repeated my order back to me and I flipped Nova over, resting her beneath me. Looking down at her like this, it was intoxicating in a way I never thought possible. She was looking up at me full of desire and lust, making my head spin. She looked hesitant, however, and withdrew slightly, giving her some space.

“Rick, please don’t be mad, I want this, I want you, but not here. N-Not like this,” she pleaded softly.

“Of course Nova,” I panted, returning to the driver seat and tossing her shirt back to her. My head was still spinning, in part from the drugs, but also her words. Words I’d been longing to hear for months.

“ _ I want you. _ ”

* * *

+Nova+

* * *

“We should still probably head to the Blickblarten System,” Rick told me, his voice still husky. I nodded in agreeance as he shifted out of hover and headed there. He still seemed lost in his own thoughts, but he was different from before, no longer as cold and distant, instead, he was far more inclined to even look at me again. The silence allowed me to slip into my own head.

Unity going after him, not a huge surprise but him resisting her while completely out of his mind? That was a different story. I’d seen how Ricks could get about their Novas, but I guess a part of me never expected it to be reflected in my Rick. I should’ve expected it though, considering what Rick W-236 had said about him.

“Your Rick is considered the Rogue Rick, rash and emotional.”

We landed on yet another vibrant planet, but where the last one had been mostly plant life, this one was filled with a bustling city. Tall skyscrapers lived up to their names, bearing logos in foreign languages. We parked the ship next to one of the large skyscrapers, Rick assuring me the walk would be worth it if it meant we had a ship to return to. Rick took my hand, leading me quickly through the city until we reached a seedier part of town.

“Stay close to me,” he murmured, tightening his grip on my hand.

“Rick, where are we?” I whispered nervously, as a creature with a bulbous head eyed me lecherously. 

“This is Shingrap,” he explained, “I know a guy here, it should only take a minute.” He also seemed to have spotted the lecherous creature because he pulled out his pistol with his free hand and pulled me closer. We approached a burnt-out building and I stopped in front, eyeing it hesitantly. “Nova, it’s going to be okay, come on. Let’s get this over with,” Rick urged, watching behind us. The bulbous headed creature had been joined by his friend, edging ever closer toward us. Once we were safely in the building, Rick released my hand and sealed the door behind us. I tried to follow him as he climbed the stairs two to three at a time but my legs were nowhere near as long. He stopped a couple of flights ahead of me, leaning over the railing with a huff.

“I’m sorry my legs aren’t the length of my body?” I shot up at him as he glared down at me, smirking. 

“Just hurry up Nova,” he sighed, leaning against the railing to wait. I caught up to him and he slowed his pace to allow me to keep up. We finally reached the top floor, both of us panting from the extreme amount of exercise. He knocked on the door in a specific pattern, very reminiscent of the knock Beth and I used for each other. A rusted peeker opened to reveal a very angry pair of eyes. They calmed at the sight of Rick and me and the door was pulled open to reveal…

Another fucking Rick. Jesus fucking christ.

“Another one? Aren’t you friends with anyone but yourself?” I asked darkly as this new Rick welcomed us across his threshold, eyeing me with that same wistful gaze Riq IV had for me. He was dressed in military garb, a deep gash marring his right eye.

“Ah, you have yourself a Nova,” he remarked, “You’re a lucky son of a bitch.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s just do our business so I can get out of here.” Rick directed me behind him, away from Scar Rick.

“N-No, it’s been years since I’ve seen a Nova. Come out here where I can see you, sweetheart. I’m not going to hurt you,” he insisted. Rick sighed, guiding me out from behind him for Scar to see. I blushed as Scar’s eyes coated me with bitter longing before Rick tucked me back behind him while he conducted his business. Scar gave Rick what looked like a wad of Monopoly money before Rick pulled a large crystal from god knows where in his lab coat before nodding and turning to leave. Scar was still watching me as Rick grabbed my hand. “W-Wait,” he stopped us.

“What do you want now?” Rick sighed impatiently.

“C-Can I talk to Nova for a moment? J-Just a moment, that’s all I ask,” Scar urged carefully, watching my Rick’s response. Rick didn’t respond, instead, he turned to me to indicate the decision was up to me.

“Wh-What’s up?” I inquired nervously as I approached him.

“I-I lost my Nova when we formed the Citadel,” he explained, “The federation kidnapped her to try to get information out of her and-” his voice hitched for a moment, and I knew what he needed. I wrapped my arms around the broken man in front of me. He gripped me tightly, burying his face in my hair as he sobbed gently. When we broke apart, he thanked me and I nodded. I returned to my Rick’s side, clasping his hand in mine as he opened a portal in front of us. Scar watched us through watery eyes as we disappeared on the other side.

* * *

“So why exactly couldn’t we have just portaled there from the get-go?” I asked irritably.

The portal dropped us next to the car. Rick climbed in, counting his monopoly money looking satisfied. “That was a Rick? You can’t just portal into a Rick in hiding’s safe house,” he explained, pocketing the money with one of his damn, know-it-all smirks. “You wanna go somewhere fun now?” he asked his smirk widening into a grin. I nodded hesitantly as he lifted off, rocketing away from the planet.

“That poor Rick,” I commented mournfully as he navigated. He glanced over at me, raising an eyebrow before shaking his head and smiling.

“You know why Ricks and Novas get along so well?” I shook my head, eager for him to continue. “Where a Morty is an IQ Cloak, Novas- well Novas offer a balance to a Ricks mental state. Y-Y-Y-You see, a Rick's mental state fluctuates between ‘I am a fucking GOD’ to ‘Everything is pointless’. A Nova offers a balance to that. It doesn’t always w-work, but with how even-tempered and rational Novas can be… i-i-it just works out. D-Does that make any fucking sense?” he finished nervously. 

“I think so, Rick,” I smiled, resting my hand on his. 

“Th-That’s why Ricks are so attached. It’s a chemical thing. I-I know I can be… difficult-”

“To say the least.”

“BUT, it’s why I have such a hard time leaving you alone.”

“R-Rick, I don’t know what to do about Ryan,” I admitted softly, “I don’t love him, I haven’t loved him in a very long time but... what if that’s what causes his rage to break? I don’t want to push the limits.”

“Nova, just let me kill him. I want to do it. It would be a fucking honor,” Rick assured me darkly.

“No Rick…”

“What I’m hearing here is, yes, Rick, do it, Rick, I won’t be mad if you do, Rick,” he grinned slyly.

“Seriously, there’s got to be another way,” I shoved him gently.

“There really isn’t one,” he told me regretfully, “Either you leave him and it doesn’t make him snap or it does. If he doesn’t, he gets to live his life as a docile little bird, or he dies. It’s that simple. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like there have been any problems yet.”

“Yeeaahh, about that,” I drew out nervously. He took a deep breath, before raising his eyebrows at me, waiting for me to continue. “Th-The night that he kicked me out, he was asking me to stop hanging out around you because I told him we’d had a bad adventure-”

“That’s putting it lightly.”

“I told him we’d had a bad adventure,” I pressed on through his interruption, “and I told him, no, I liked hanging out with you and I think, even if only for a minute, his rage broke. He looked furious. Like he was going to kill me.”

Rick was quiet for a moment, considering my words. “Nova, don’t go home,” he told me, deathly serious.

“I’m going to have to see him again eventually,” I insisted, “There’s Madi to consider to ya know.”

“We’ll get Madi when she comes home, Summer will like having her BFF living with her,” he rationalized. “I’m serious Nova. When that dampener snaps- think of it like a bridge. A-all of that rage is going to flood out like fucking ocean.” He frantically ran his hand through his hair as he tried to contain his panic. His eyes lit up though, as a billboard appeared on a small dwarf planet. “Oh shit, we’re here!” he exclaimed, all previous panic seemingly erased.

“We’re… where?”

“BLIPS AND CHITZ!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the way, the song I keep listening to over and over and over and over when writing is Pornostartrek by USS and tbh, that's where the whole inspiration for the 'Novas make Rick happy' thing came from. PLUS I FIGURED IF MORTY COULD DO ITfdslfjs 
> 
> Uh  
> Anyway  
> Thank you so much for reading!


	8. Shameful Metaphors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There’s some fluffs, there some action. I might be just a little too proud of how this chapter came out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rickshank Rickdemption? Never heard of him.
> 
> Also, I had to change the ending to this chapter, not by much but by enough. I might have to tweak it again, but I just wanted to mention it. Thank you so so so much for reading. 🖤

Rick looked like a goddamn kid in a candy shop. When we crossed the threshold, his pockets bulging with his Monopoly money, he took off ahead of me, shouting about someone called Roy.

“Rick! Rick wait!” I called after him, trying to cut through the crowd and keep up with the oversized child that Rick had suddenly become. He paused briefly, allowing me to finally catch up. I surveyed the room, astounded by how it enormous it seemed. To our left was an expansive bar. Two large arcades ran adjacent to it, emanating with sounds of laughter and loud sound effects. The building had multiple stories, all accentuating the large planetary statue situated in the center of the room. More sounds of mirth and excitement rained down on us from above, leaving me to assume it was multiple levels of rows and rows of video games.

“Isn’t it amazing?” Rick looked proud like he had come up with the whole place himself.

“Ah, if it isn’t my friend Rick Sanchez,” a large slug-like creature called warmly as he slithered over to us.

“Slitherino, buddy! How the hell are you?” Rick greeted him jovially, shaking the creatures… hand? I guess?

“Doin’ great, my friend. Business is booming ever since that commercial you did with us. Who would’ve thought an interdimensionally wanted criminal could bring in so many kids?” Slitherino chortled. “And who do you have here tonight?” He raised his brow at Rick as he regarded me.

“Slither- this is Nova, Nova this Siltherino Slimeofogus the Fourth, owner of the greatest establishment this side of the galaxy,” Rick boasted.

“Now, now Rick. You’re not trying to get extra flurbos out of me are you?” Siltherino asked, eyeing him seriously before breaking out into a huge smile. “Because it’s working. Here you son of a bitch, you guys have a great time.” He handed us a large bucket of coins from within his apparently gelatinous body. He bid us farewell as he slithered away, leaving Rick to count the contents quickly.

“One thousand ninety-nine, two thousand. Two thousand flurbos Nova!” he exclaimed as he slid the coins back into the bucket. “Are you hungry? They’ve got zurbos here now, so fucking good Nova.” Rick gushed. I barely recognized the man next to me as his eyes flitted all around the room. I shook my head, earning me a one way trip to a game called Roy 2: Dave. “The line was ridiculous last time I was here,” Rick marveled, “You should play!” He deposited some of our flurbos in the machine before sitting me down in the chair and dropping a helmet over my eyes.

* * *

_ “Dave! Come out here and eat dinner with us!” a voice called out to me. I closed my binder, rushing out to the living room to find my big brother Roy and my parents sitting at their TV trays. “Oh sweetheart, you’re just in time! We’re getting to watch the newest episode of Planet Music!” _

_ In high school, I met a girl named Arabelle, an outcast just like me. We spent nearly every day after school hanging out by a waterfall where we got high and talked about music, art and anything else that came to mind. _

_ I didn’t stay friends with her for long, my parents didn’t approve of her dark sense of humor and overuse of sarcasm. I knew they just wanted the best for me. They bought me a guitar and lessons instead and allowed me to spend all hours of the night practicing. My brother Roy and I formed a band, along with a couple of his friends from school. Our first single was a smash hit, propelling us into the limelight. _

_ Arabelle and I reconnected after a show one night. I forgot how much I missed her and we stayed up the entire night talking like we used to. She told me how heartbreaking it was to lose my friendship. I apologized and worked my way into her pants that night.  _

_ Our second album flopped, and Roy and I started fighting constantly. Arabelle and I had started dating, and she insisted I was the talent of the band. I listened to her, leaving my brother and his friends to seek new highs and new ways to become creative. _

_ I joined the twenty-seven club, dying of an overdose. _

**_GAME OVER._ **

* * *

“What the fuck?!” I screamed as the helmet was removed from my head.

“Only twenty-seven?” Rick commented, reading the stats on the screen. “You at least led a fun life I suppose,” he shrugged.

“Everything was so real. I felt myself die,” I trembled. My knees shook as I stood up and tried to reorient myself with my real body.

“You’re alright Nova,” Rick smirked, “Now get outta my way, it’s my turn!” He tore off my reward tickets, handing them off to me and depositing a couple more coins into the machine. He fitted the helmet over his head and his eyes unsettlingly rolled back in his head. I watched the screen, watched the body I had thought was my own as it fought with its sibling Roy, become the most popular kid in school before completely running from home at the age of sixteen.

“You didn’t do much better, Mr. Age Twenty-Five,” I teased as Rick pulled the helmet off in frustration, grabbing his own tickets. My grip on reality had finally returned after watching Rick’s version of Dave’s life and I was actually eager for another go.

“How was I supposed to know the bungee cord was going to break!?” he shot back. “These games, some of them really just want you to keep pumping flurbos into them,” he growled, stalking off toward what I could only assume was the space equivalent of Skee Ball. He pumped more flurbos into the game, picking up the hovering puck and chucking it skillfully. It bounced off of the holographic mountains before hitting a secret passageway and setting an alarm off. 

“I take it you’ve played these games a couple of times,” I mused, watching him perform trick shots as the machine produced ticket after ticket. 

“Well, if you look at the screen, that’ll be my high score,” he pointed proudly at the marquee that read ‘HI-SCORE: ARSE” followed by a series of illegible symbols. 

“Arse, really?” I asked, trying to stifle my giggles to sound terribly unamused.

“It stands for Actually Rick Sanchez,” he told me flatly.

“Oh, what’s the E for then?” 

“Yeah, I mean, come on Nova, I had to,” he shrugged. 

“I mean, if you already went that far…” I trailed up, grinning up at him.

* * *

When he had finally spent his last flurbo, he begrudgingly walked us out to the ship to head home. Today had been incredible, with its high and low points but weirdly enough, the trip to Blips and Chitz felt like an actual date. I was going to comment as such, but we were being approached by an alarming number of bug-like creatures.

“Rick Sanchez, we have you surrounded,” one called out. Rick froze, scanning the area to find the bug creatures claims were true. “If you come quietly, I can assure you no danger will befall your Nova.”

“Rick, what is going on?” I hissed as he pulled me in close and pulled out his portal gun. 

“Don’t even think about it, Sanchez!” the bug shouted, “We have you in our sights, and you’ll be dead before you even try.”

“Goddammit, Slitherino,” Rick snarled, releasing me to confront the bugs.

“You’ve committed numerous crimes against the Federation. I urge you to stand down,” the bug declared again as he closed in on us, close enough for me to make out his furry legs and large wings.

“Let me send her home,” Rick demanded. “I’ll come with you, just let me send her home.” 

“Rick, no-” I protested before he cut me off

“Nova, just be quiet, please,” he glared down at me.

“If you come peacefully, you may send her home in your ship,” the bug compromised nonchalantly.

“Yeah, that’s not how it’s going down,” he snarled, pulling out his portal gun again. As the bugs opened fire around us, he deployed a shield around us. “This is not going to last long enough for me to explain any of this to you.” He opened a portal on the ground behind me, discreetly shoving his portal gun in my hands. “Nova, just trust me, I-I’m sending you somewhere safe,” he murmured, kissing my forehead before shoving me through the opening. I heard the shield shatter as I fell through, gunfire coming to an immediate stop as the portal closed above me. Shellshocked, I realized I was in an oddly familiar, dingy hallway and a door with a rusted peeker stood in front of me. I stood quickly, knocking urgently on it. When I received no answer, I sighed in frustration knocking the same knock that Beth and I shared. The peeker slid open to reveal the same pair of angry eyes before quickly opening, Scar Rick grabbing me as I crumpled to the floor.

* * *

“Rick!”

The world was spinning around me as I came to, Scar watching intently from across the room as I sat up in a panic which served to only make the spinning faster. I was on a thin cot, surrounded by similar weapons to the ones I’d seen in Rick’s garage.  _ Rick.  _ The thought of him propelled me from the cot, heading for the door. I had no idea how I was going to save him, but damn if I wasn’t going to try.

“H-Hey, Nova, it’s okay. Calm down,” Scar said gruffly, soothing me simply by sharing the same voice as Rick. My legs were weak as I stood, and he grabbed me hesitantly before I fell again, sitting me back on the cot. 

“The hell it is! Some fucking b-bug creatures took Rick- They’re gonna kill him,” I shouted hysterically, making another move to stand. Scar grabbed my shoulder, roughly forcing me back onto my cot.

“Nova, I know. This is the third time you’ve woken up screaming about it,” he assured me, grabbing a dirty canteen and offering it to me. My mouth was a desert and I drank from it greedily. “H-Hey, calm down. Drowning won’t bring Rick back,” he remarked smartly, gently tugging the canteen out of my grasp. 

“Wh-What am I going to do? I have to get him back,” I panicked, bunching my legs up into my chest as I slowly rocked myself back and forth. I had always thought of Rick as untouchable like he was always five steps ahead of every potential foe.

“Why don’t you tell me everything that happened after you left here three days ago,” he asked with surprising calm.

“Three fucking days ago? How long have I been passed out?” I asked, breaking out of my grasp on my legs, moving to stand up again.

“You passed out at my door,” he said, his gruff tone returning as he blocked me from making my way to the door by outstretching his arm across my chest, resulting in me stumbling back onto the cot. “You’ve been in and out these past few days, screaming about Rick and monster bugs when you were conscious. This is the most lucid you’ve been yet.”

“Wh-What were those creatures?” I asked him, just the memories of the way they surrounded us stilling me to my core.

“Those were most likely the Groflamites,” he sighed, standing up and returning to the other side of the room. A portal gun laid in pieces on the table he approached, the glass on the top completely shattered. He noticed as I stared at in horror, my only way directly to Rick completely destroyed. “You fell on it when you passed out,” he explained, “I’ve been trying to fix it, but I haven’t had one in over a decade.”

“Y-You can fix it though, right?” I asked nervously, unable to take my eyes off of it.

“I should be able to, I have to go out and get some parts. I just hadn’t been able to yet, I didn’t want you to wake up alone,” he admitted sheepishly, “I-I know my N-Nova wasn’t a fan of that.”

“Oh.”

Clearing his throat, he continued, “If you think you’ll be okay for a couple of hours, I can run out now. There are just a couple of pieces that need to be replaced, I promise I’ll be quick.”

“C-Can I just come with you?” I asked anxiously, not trusting myself enough to be left alone with my thoughts.

“Sure.”

* * *

+Rick+

* * *

Fucking asshole. That fucking piece of fucking shit. I’m gonna- I’m gonna burn every fucking Blips and Chitz to the fucking ground when I finally get the fuck out of here.

The first order of business, unfortunately, figuring out where in the hell  _ here  _ was.

It looked like I was in my garage, but that couldn’t be right. Key details were missing, my newest tinker toy, for instance, not to mention Nova’s crudely drawn smiley face on my work desk.

“Alright assholes, what in the fuck are you waiting for?” I shouted into the ether. There was no response at first until a tall Groflamite knocked on the garage door. 

“Hello, Rick,” he remarked coolly, leaning against the door as he closed it behind him. “That was a cute little trick, sending your Nova off with your portal gun. You know we have to hunt her down now right?” he told me perfectly politely, although the threat of it was apparent.

“Good luck,” I remarked darkly, turning back to my workbench even though there wasn’t really anything to focus my attention on.

“We already have a good idea of where you sent her, hard to believe a Rick would trust another Rick with his most treasured possession, but I guess you’re an odd one through and through,” he commented, inspecting the fur on the back of his hand.

“Tr-Treasured- possession?” I sputtered. He had to be bluffing. Scar was an old friend, back from before the council formed. The council hadn’t been very sympathetic to the kidnapping of his Nova, ultimately opting not to rescue her to keep themselves laid low. He wasn’t going to let another Rick go through that.

Well, fuckwad better not.

“Come now Rick, let's not pretend. We both know you love that human girl,” The Groflammite told me flatly.

“Love is just a chemical reaction,” I recited, bored. 

“Mmhm, but yet you still love her.”

“I-I do not!” I lied.

“You don’t have to lie to me, Rick,” he shook his head, “Go ahead and lie to yourself all you want, but we’re in your head. I’ve seen a lot more of your dirty thoughts than I ever wanted to, and somehow they all featured her. And a couple of giraffes I won’t be asking any questions about.”

“Get to the point, bug.”

“I’d think the smartest man in the universe would know what I wanted.”

Jesus fucking christ this fucking douche.

* * *

+Nova+

* * *

I stuck close to Scar as he led us through the bustling city of Shingrap. He didn’t have much to say, not completely unlike my Rick on a bad day. Through a particularly tight crowd, he grabbed my hand tightly, and for a moment, I forgot where I was and who he was. His hands exhibited the same coarseness, and for even the smallest second I felt safe. Maybe that’s why he sent me here? Did he know he was going to die? Did he send me to this Rick to offer him something he’d lost?

No.

He was far too cocky to allow for such planning. He must’ve known this Rick would be able to help, or something. I just wish I knew what to do. Scar must’ve realized I had started spiraling because he turned around quickly and grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Nova, I need you to focus, we’re almost there.”

‘There’ was a filthy pawnshop. Why was I always ending up in the dirtiest parts of space? All of these people with their illusions of grandeur when it came to space should feel lucky to not have a Rick in their lives to completely shatter them. Scar and the clerk spoke in low tones as I investigated the shop, never straying out of Scar’s eyesight. He grabbed my hand again, his transaction apparently complete as he led me back through the city. As we cut the corner to the alley that would lead us back to his safe house, I spotted a Groflammite scanning the city gun in hand.

“Rick,” I whispered sharply, pulling on his hand sharply as the bug’s gaze was moving in our direction. Scar found him immediately, breaking into a sprint down the alley, shooting one of the lecherous bulbous headed creatures my Rick and I had encountered our first time here. We made it safely back to his building, but as Scar sealed the door behind us, a quiet fluttering of wings assured us they had spotted us. We ran up the stairs as they slammed their weight into the door. Scar locked his safe room door behind us before starting on the repairs to the portal gun. A large slam from the floors below told us they had made it through the first door and it was only a matter of seconds before they were at this one.

“Start grabbing anything you see with a trigger,” Scar growled as he inserted the glass bulb on the top of the gun, opening a small door to work on the circuitry. I grabbed every weapon I could get my hands on, shoving them into a small pile in the center of the room. A loud bang on the safe room door made me jump out of my skin, but Scar was slamming the panel on the gun shut, smirking. “Let’s get the hell out of here baby girl,” he murmured tenderly, grabbing me by my waist and shooting a portal under the pile of guns. We followed the guns through just as the bugs broke through the door, dropping us right onto a marble floor.

Goddammit.

“Nova N-682,” Riq IV called from behind me. I brushed my hair out of my face, huffing as I turned to face him. “Where is your Rick?” he asked curiously, looking around as if he expected him to erupt from another portal.

“Rick Alpha-392,” Scar growled up at him viciously.

“Oho, you’ve renounced your Rick for Rick Beta-125?” Rick Prime grinned down at us, “Now there’s a match I never even thought to put money on.”

“There’s a name I haven’t heard in centuries,” Riq IV laughed darkly. “What brings you back here? Want to put this Nova’s head on the chopping block too?” Scar roared, picking up one of his guns and aiming at the council member.

“You fucking killed her, not me,” Scar snarled. I reached up gently, lowering the gun with a gentle look.

“Not here, not now.” I soothed him. He relented, turning away from the sneering Ricks atop their thrones. “Rick- N-682 has been arrested by the F-Federation.” Riq IV’s face darkened as he regarded me, before turning to his fellow council members. They deliberated a moment, before coming to a decision and turning back to me.

“So he dies. I’m sorry Nova.”

* * *

+Rick+

* * *

“So they’ve spotted Rick Beta-125?” The Groflammite spoke into his watch smugly. “Excellent, were they able to apprehend Nova and the portal gun?”

Shit. Fuck. Shit fuck fuck shit.

_ Nova. _

The bug’s watch murmured again, his face falling as he listened. “They got away? What do we even pay you assholes for?” he spat angrily into the watch. He sighed, regaining his composure before returning his even gaze to me. “Looks like you got lucky Rick, but this is your last chance to be useful.”

“I’m never useful if I can help it,” I told him darkly. Nova being safe was enough to keep me from throttling the stupid bug, but the option was still there. He approached the garage door, watching a memory play in front of him.

“That’s her, isn’t it?” he pointed. The memory on full display was the two of us in my ship, her mounted on my lap and kissing me like it was the last kiss we’d ever share.

_ It might be.  _

“Yeah,” I murmured, forcing the dark thought away. I watched the memory, trying to resist the emotion it was instilling in me, the doubt, the fear. What if we never got to finish what we started? What if I couldn’t get out of here?

“You can watch this right now and tell me you don’t love her?” he asked conversationally, as though we were old friends discussing curtains.

“I-I can,” I lied again, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. The memory switched, playing the memory of saving her from Rick U-236 and having to see that fuck on top of her, touching parts of her I still hadn’t had the pleasure of infuriated me.

“Ah, I see. Of course. You still think she doesn’t care for you the same way.” The same conversational tone, but now I just wanted to rip his voice box out. The memory changed again, this time of the first time I took her out into space.

“St-Stop!” I begged, tearing my eyes away from her awestruck face. 

“Just tell me how you figured out portal technology Rick and I swear, I’ll let you see her one last time,” he urged gently. A door appeared between us.

“If I show you, you have to promise not to hurt her,” I conceded weakly, trying to ignore the moisture accumulating around my eyes.

“No harm will befall Nova, Rick. You have my word,” he assured me. Still, I knew he was lying. I decided to play along, opening the door to step into another garage, this one being from the home I shared with Beth’s mother. 

Another Rick stood before us, scribbling furiously onto a notepad in front of him as he made adjustments to the crude device that I would soon turn into the portal gun.

“H-Hey Rick,” a voice came from the doorway. A twenty-year-old Nova stood there, eyeing the Rick in front of her nervously.

“O-Oh hey Nova. Beth’s not here,” Past Me brushed her off callously. Her face fell as she approached the workbench to investigate what I had been working on.

“I-I know, I came to see what you were working on,” she told me timidly. God, this was too much, too hard to watch.

“It’s a portal gun,” I told her, extending the device for her to inspect. “I think I almost have the formula right. Just a couple more days and I should be able to traverse the galaxy in an instant.”

“Wow,” she murmured, eyeing the scribbles I had made. “R-Rick, I think your equations wrong here,” she told me hesitantly, pointing to a small error in math I had made.

“Shit, you’re right.” I picked up the portal gun, adjusting the error before pulling the trigger. A green circle appeared on the wall, another four inches to the right. I tossed an apple through, only to have it reappear through the second portal in the same condition. “I-I did it,” I murmured, awestruck. “W-We did it.” I looked at her, beaming as I pulled her into a tight embrace only to quickly push her away. “Hold on,” I paused, sticking my arm through the hole only for it to also appear unharmed on the other side.

“So that’s it?” The Groflammite asked eagerly, running up to my desk to start taking pictures of the equation scribbled on my notepad. He uploaded it quickly, announcing to his superiors that’d he’d gotten it. A devilish grin erupted on my face as the bugs on the other end of his headset stopped replying.

Thank God.

“You know, watching that brilliantly concocted lie made me realize something.” I grinned wickedly at the smug bug.

“L-Lie?!” he exclaimed.

The walls of the garage fell around us as my current garage formed around the fake memory. “You’re probably right, I do love my Nova, I love her more than I’ve loved anything before,” I conceded with a shrug. “But if you’d done any research, you would’ve realized two things.” He tried contacting his supervisors again, to no avail. “I left Nova when she was sixteen you idiot, and more importantly, for all of the strengths she has to offer me, she knows jack shit when it comes to science. That math would have looked like absolute gibberish to her.”

“What’s happening, what did you do?” the bug panicked.

“I didn’t do anything, you were the one who uploaded a virus from a fake memory,” I told him with a shrug.

“Get me out of his head!” he shouted into his watch, “It was fake, it was all fake!”

“They won’t be answering,” I told him simply. I raised my own watch to my mouth, mocking his serious tone as I spoke, “Go ahead and pull me outta here guys.”

It was a curious feeling, being in a bug body, but I played it off well until a team of SEAL Ricks descended from the ceiling, shooting every Groflamite they saw. I ducked down behind the chair, reaffixing the brain switching helmet to my head as they shot my original body directly between the eyes. 

Well, that kind of sucked. Poor old bastard.

Since they weren’t exactly here on a rescue mission, I aimed the device at one of the SEAL Ricks. I injected my conscious into his brain, surprisingly thankful for the roominess of it. I took out the Groflamite I had been previously occupying before taking out the remaining SEAL Ricks, grabbing the brainalyzer and climbing the rope back up to their ship. 

After a series of Rick switching, I was finally back on the Citadel, at the helm of Control. I portalled the entire fucking thing directly into the galactic federal fucking prison.

God, I’m such a fucking badass.

Chaos poured around me as I made my way to the council, knowing if Scar was going to take her anywhere, it would be here. Despite his history with the council, it was still the safest place to hide from the federation. I just had to hope my hunch was right. Worst come to worst, I was going to be able to kill two birds with one stone. Take out the Federation and that stupid ass council, sure, why not. I found Quantum Rick trying to flee amongst the chaos and knowing my only way in there with the least amount of resistance would be as a Rick they recognized, I performed one last swap, smashing the brainalyzer as I took off down the Council hall.

“Get your hands off of her,” I bellowed, crossing the threshold to a confusing scene. Riq IV and Zeta Alpha Rick were pulling her in opposite directions, apparently trying to decide which would be escaping with her. Scar laid dead on the floor and with the surprise of my appearance, they released her abruptly. Nova fell to Scar’s side, openly weeping as she looked up at me with a fury I’d never seen before.

“Did you come to finish the job?” she screamed at me. “You don’t have to worry. He’s fucking dead.” She stood up, grabbing one of the, surprisingly, many guns littering the floor. “You killed my Rick, you fucking piece of shit.”

“N-Nova, wait-”

“I loved him you fucking piece of shit. And now I’ll never get to fucking tell him,” she sobbed. To my luck, the gun she chose had a harsh kickback, causing the shot to miss my head, but only by a hair. I mussed my hair, returning to the look she was accustomed to before pulling the pretentious council robe off, showing I was strapped with as many stray weapons I could grab from my previous bodies.

“Nova, please don’t fucking shoot at me,” I shouted, more annoyed than angry.

“R-Rick-” In her shock, Riq IV was able to grab her, holding his gun to her head.

“You just can’t keep a dumb Rick down can you?” he seethed, backing away to the window. I quickly took out the other Ricks surrounding us, leaving only one shit stain left. 

“Let her go,” I growled through gritted teeth.

“Let me tell you what’s going to happen here, N-682.” Riq IV started, slowly getting closer to the window. “I’m going to take your Nova, and you’re not going to shoot at us because you’re not going to risk her insignificant life,” he sneered. My eyes locked with Nova’s trying to find the best course of action that would  _ kill  _ Riq IV with minimal damage to her.

“Who’s to say I won’t let that happen, dick. You truly underestimate how badly I want you dead,” I told him darkly, not looking at her.

“Rick!”

“You won’t kill her, not every Rick can just kill their Nova. Especially not when they love her,” he taunted. “Luckily for me, I never had a Nova, I have no attachment to her kind.”

“I’ve only had her for a couple of months, I lived my whole life without her, I think I can go a couple more decades,” I sighed and turned to her, “Nothing personal sweetheart, I’d just rather have him dead.”

“You fucking asshole,” she sobbed, turning away from me into Riq IV’s chest. 

“Oh, maybe I could get used to this,” Riq IV said deviously, lowering his weapon for the briefest of seconds as Nova stared up at him before kneeing him right in the groin. As she ducked out of the way, I took my open shot, getting him directly between the eyes. The shock stilled us as we watched the Council leader fall gracelessly to the ground dead. We stared at each other before she came to her senses and launched herself into my arms.

“Nova, I’m sorry,” I murmured, kissing her desperately. “I didn’t mean it, I promise. I’m so sorry.”

“Rick, I know it’s okay, I know,” she assured me, burying her face in my neck as she clung to me. “Please, please just take me home.”

“I will baby, I will,” I told her, “I just have to finish what I started.” I pulled my portal gun away from Scar, silently thanking him for protecting her for as long as he had.

“He saved me, you know,” she murmured, staring down at him sadly. “I was going to kill them, the council a-and I think they knew that. H-He sacrificed himself for me.”

“I knew he would.” I kissed her head, opening a portal into the level nine control room. A groflamite appeared, trying to stop us but I shot him quickly.

“Wh-where are we?” she asked nervously, staring at the dead bug on the ground.

“This would be the level nine control room, I came here to topple a government,” I told her with a shrug. She stared at me with wide eyes as I typed into the computer, accessing their economy with far too little button clicks. “What?” I asked as she gaped at me. “I’d prefer it if we didn’t have to do this again.”

“S-So are you gonna like, redirect their missiles? Or disintegrate their space fleet?” she suggested.

“You sound like Morty and Summer,” I rolled my eyes. “No, I prefer to do things the easy way. Like, change a one to a zero.” The operation complete, I opened another portal, this time directly into my garage, pulling Nova along behind me just in time to watch as ships took off from Earth. Damn, they moved fast.

“D-Dad? Nova?” Beth said, sounding stunned from the doorway. “Where have you been? We haven’t seen you in over a week! There was a new government, they gave Jerry a job but apparently, their entire economy just collapsed. So, it looks like he’s out of a job again.”

I looked between Beth and her best friend, opting to just shrug. “I was out.”

“By the way Nova, Ryan’s been looking for you. He wants you to come home,” she rolled her eyes. “You know you’re welcome here as long as you need, right?”

Nova nodded, still shellshocked from waging a brief but entire war against two different governments. “M-Maybe it's time I go home,” she murmured sadly. She remained silent as Beth sighed at us both, shaking her head as she left the room. 

“Y-You okay?” I asked hesitantly as she stared blankly ahead. She shook her head sharply, breaking herself from her train of thought and smiled weakly. 

“Are you?”

”I’m better now that you’re safe,” I murmured, pulling her into my arms. We were silent for a while, just enjoying each other’s embrace. “I love you, Nova,” I murmured into her hair as we swayed. She stopped, looking up at me longingly before returning her face to my chest.

”I love you too.”


	9. What It Is To Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Morty's actin' pretty weird my friend, wonder what's up with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't seen the note at the beginning of last chapter, then know I changed the ending to it. I'm not quite ready to have the Nova Rick Ryan showdown yet, so I switched it to something a hell of a lot more wholesome.
> 
> A L S O, sorry for the delay, but I was having a really hard time trying to figure how how I wanted to do where the ending was originally heading, hence the change. BUT I'm much happier with this chapter and the way the story goes with my change. This chapter and the next one go hand in hand so it'll pick up exactly where this one leaves off.

* * *

+Nova+

* * *

After the assault on the Citadel, Rick and I spent most days holed up in his garage or out with Morty adventuring. Ryan would try stopping by a couple of times to try catching me but most of the time Rick and I were so wrapped up in whatever issue of the week we were dealing with that I happily pushed seeing him back to a later date. I was hanging around Rick so much I barely saw Beth even though every morning I could depend on her leaving a cup of coffee for me on the coffee table as I woke up. 

“Please, please just let me set you up in Jerry’s office. I promise he doesn’t use it,” she would insist every morning to my refusal and Jerry’s ire. Jerry stopped really arguing after a while at Beth’s less than amused reminders of his joblessness. I would insist the TV helped me sleep and I hated that I was taking up space in her house at all. She always relented, saying she was just glad I finally got away from Ryan.

I didn’t know how to explain to her why I preferred sleeping on the couch. How was I supposed to tell her I liked that Rick, in a rare show of affection, would come sit next to me and play with my hair until he couldn’t stay awake any longer? That Rick and I were three seasons deep into a binge of Cornless? That her father and I were in lo-

No, not necessarily… that.

Despite my craving to hear them for longer than I had ever even realized, we hadn’t even talked about it. I didn’t doubt them though, in every light kiss, in every spared glance, they were so goddamn apparent. Rick wasn’t one to be touchy-feely with emotions and after years of emotional beatdowns every time I showed an iota of emotion, neither was I.

One afternoon, we were sitting at his workbench in near silence while he tweaked his latest invention and I desperately searched for a new job. The hunt was going dismally, despite my years of experience.

“Hey babe, don’t worry about,” he murmured in my ear, causing me to jump out of my skin. Somehow without me even noticing, he’d rolled his chair around the workbench to me. “You can just help me out all day,” he assured me, kissing the top of my head gently before rolling back over to his invention. “Check this out.” Smiling, he extended a small tube out, leaving me to stare at it in confusion.

“What even is that?” I asked bluntly, causing his smile to droop slightly.

“I-It’s an enhancement for my arm. This body came with some upgrades,” he told me as though it would be the most obvious thing in the world. As I continued surveying it, even taking it into my hand to inspect it closer, he continued, “It’s a new barrel for my arm mounted pistol. I’m trying to make it even more accurate.” He snatched it out of my hand, returning to work on it protectively.

“This is why I can’t just help you out all day. I don’t even know what half of this stuff is.” I told him flatly.

“I-I could show you,” he insisted, sliding his chair over to the large utility shelf next to the garage door.

“Rick, do you really want to spend every second of every day with me?” I asked with the same flat tone.

“N-No, of course not,” he stammered, digging through the boxes.

“Then I need to get a job, I have to at least help Beth with expenses if Jerry’s not going to.” He paused, seeming to consider my words for a moment before resuming digging. “Then we can just send Jerry to live with Ryan and Beth and I can just be nice lesbian parents to Morty, Summer, and Madi.”

“Trying to collect the full Sanchez set? Got me, now you’re going after Beth too?” He stopped digging through his current box, moving over to his workbench and pulling one down from the shelf above.

“Oh, I collected Beth a while ago,” I told him innocently. His eyes bulged for a moment so I elaborated with a carefree shrug. “Teenage years are a confusing time.”

“Oh, that’s… why’d you have to go and make it weird? That’s weird, you’re weird,” he recoiled, actually looking grossed out.

“We didn’t do anything,” I soothed him, “I was just fucking with you old man.”

“You’re still weird.”

“You like it.”

“Shut up.”

He abandoned his search and we fell back into a comfortable silence for a while. Rick started on another project, something that looked like a supersonic set of headphones and I went back to my job hunting. I was inches away from slamming the laptop shut in frustration when Morty stormed in, looking angrier than I had ever seen him.

“R-Rick, I want to redeem my adventure card,” he demanded, handing a small punch card out to Rick. I raised my eyebrow at Rick but he just rolled his eyes and handed the card back to Morty.

“I don’t feel like going out right now, kid,” he shrugged, turning back to his invention. The source of Morty’s irritation appeared at the door in the form of Jerry wearing a very serious expression.

“Come on, kiddo, I just wanted to talk to you about it,” Jerry explained, exasperated. “It’s a talk a man and his son have at some point-” 

“Come on Nova, Morty. We have places to be,” Rick said flatly. Morty quickly pulled Rick’s portal gun out of his pocket, punching in a destination and opening a portal for us to disappear in, much to Jerry’s frustration.

* * *

“So what in the hell was that all about?” Rick asked gruffly, using a laser sword from his lab coat to try and fight his way through the dense thicket of the planet Morty had portalled us to. I had stopped asking questions about how he could always be so prepared a long time ago, I always got the same answer. When you’re good, you’re good.

“He wanted to have the ‘talk.’ Look, I’d rather not talk about it, Rick. I-I came out here to get away from it, not discuss it at length with you two.” Morty grimaced, not breaking his stride and using his anger to quickly work his way through the tall brush.

“Okay, rude. You wanna at least tell me where we are?” Rick asked, trying his hardest not to sound annoyed. I followed behind the two, letting their frustration with each other carve me a path.

“I just punched in random numbers,” Morty replied with a shrug. “I just wanted to get out of there. There’s gotta be something here that’s useful for you.” The bitter note in his tone had Rick and me exchanging glances before continuing after him.

“So, if Morty doesn’t know where the fuck we’re at, do you?” I asked Rick, my own irritation bubbling under the surface. He pulled out his space phone, typing into the screen quickly with a steadily more and more irritated expression growing on his face.

“I have no fucking clue,” he groaned, shoving the device back into his pocket. “Let’s just go somewhere else Morty, I-I’m not wasting my afternoon mowing some random fucking planets backyard.” He reached for his portal gun, only to find it missing from his pocket. I pointed to Morty when he shot me a look of confusion and further irritation bled onto it. “Come on asshole, give it back, let’s go,” he growled at his grandson, extending his hand expectantly.

“I’m not going back into that fucking house,” Morty shot back, holding out the portal gun for Rick to grab. He left it within his reach until the last moment, whipping it away from his grasp right as his fist had ready to grasp it. “I’m not going home. We’ll find something here,” he told him simply, forcing the portal gun into the waist of his jeans. 

“Morty, he didn’t say anything about going home,” I told him softly, holding my finger up to Rick hoping to silence him before he could start berating my godson again. “We’ll just go somewhere else. It’ll be fi-”

“Nova, this is my fucking adventure.” Morty twirled around to face me, his usually kind face contorted with rage. “We’re going to find something here, got it?”

“H-Hey buddy, calm down,” Rick shot at his grandson, eyeing him carefully. “That’s your fucking aunt, d-don’t talk to her like that.”

“Wh-Whatever Rick. Y-Y-You’re so worried about her being my aunt until you’re trying to get in her p-pants.” Morty turned to Rick, eyes burning with rage.“Then it’s totally fine, right Rick? All because you’re in l-love with her or something equally as stupid? F-Fucking hypocrite.”

“Fuck you, Morty,” Rick shot darkly, not meeting my gaze. “I haven’t even fucked her, t-that’s not why she’s around you little piece of shit.”

“No, fuck you, Rick. L-Let’s just keep going alright?” Morty picked up his pace, going further ahead of us, mumbling under his breath.

“So, he’s a damn delight to be around today,” I murmured to Rick, brushing up against him to comfort him. He didn’t respond, storming off to catch up to Morty and continue his tirade leaving me to trail behind them alone. 

We came across a dark cave, dripping with stalactites that almost came into the shape of a large vicious mouth. Totally not ominous at all and yet Morty was peering through the entryway eagerly. “Let’s check this place out.”

“Yeah Morty, we should absolutely check out the terrifying cave that literally looks like it’s about to eat us,” I told him sarcastically. 

“Nova, it’s my adventure, we’re going,” he told me angrily before pulling out a flashlight and venturing further within. I looked to Rick quickly only to receive a shrug as he followed Morty into the gaping maw of a cave entrance. Had everyone just lost their goddamn minds today?

“Really great adventure Mo*uuurp*rty,” Rick complained lazily as we walked through the cave. Morty stormed ahead, only taking care to avoid any obvious potential hazards while Rick and I walked slowly, his flashlight only illuminating so much. “Maybe Satan himself will be down here and I can ask him why he sent me such a shitty grandson.” I smacked his arm earning me a glare before he continued. “You’re going to get Nova and I killed down here.”

“Maybe if Satan is down here I can him wh-who the fuck you think you are old man,” Morty growled over his shoulder.

“Something’s wrong with Morty, Rick,” I told him urgently. The ground beneath us was slippery so I grabbed onto his arm to keep myself steady.

“Yeah, I noticed that already, Nova. I’m trying to figure out what the little shit is up to,” Rick hissed, glancing down at my hand with a look of irritation.

“The fuck is your problem?” I asked, releasing his arm spitefully.

“Nothing Nova, just trying to focus on Morty at the moment, that’s all,” he said distracted, taking advantage of my release on him and hurrying after Morty.

“Rick!” I whispered sharply. “You have the fucking flashlight you fucking dick!” Inky darkness fell over me as Rick disappeared around a corner ahead of me. I tried my best to navigate through the pitch black, running into far more walls than intended. In a stroke of genius, I remembered my phone in my back pocket and pulled it out to activate its flashlight. I was greeted with the face of Morty contorted with rage as he knocked the device out of my hands and shoved me to the ground. “Morty, what the fuck?!” I shouted. He didn’t respond, instead, a hand extended in front of me, knocking me out with gas from a small aerosol can.

* * *

“Nova, wake up Nova,” a singsong voice murmured as I awoke to find myself tied to some kind of alter. Over twenty Mortys surrounded me, all staring at me, emotionless save for one who busied himself with a small bowl near my head. The stone altar was cool to the touch, sending chills down my spine.

“Morty, what the fuck are you doing?” I tried to fight the bind on my wrist, furious to find myself in this situation yet again. “Let me up goddammit.”

“Not yet Nova. Not until The One True Morty gets here with the bastard Rick,” the one closest told me emotionlessly.

“Th-The One True Morty?” I asked hysterically. “What the fuck does that mean?”

“In due time, Au-Aunt Nova,” he told me dismissively.

“I-Is that my Morty? The one that brought us down here?” I whispered, my anger being replaced by panic.

“In a word, no,” Bowl Morty grinned deviously as he finished up with whatever he was doing.

“Why did he bring us here?”

“All will be explained when The One True Morty arrives.”

And so I was left to sit, struggling in my binds as I waited for this One True Morty to appear. It seemed to drag on for hours and after the first hour, I started giving up, my wrists bloody and raw from constantly rubbing the coarse rope. I tried to dig for more answers to where I was, why I was here but the Mortys surrounding me remained silent. Content to watch me, no emotion emerged on their faces. Finally, almost blissfully, I heard a gruff voice berating a Morty. A voice I had grown far too accustomed to.

“Goddammit Morty, what in the hell are you doing?” Rick’s shouts echoed on the damp cave walls. He emerged through a low opening, his hands bound in front of him looking angrier than I’d ever seen him. His anger softened at the sight of me but as soon as it did it contorted again into an even uglier snarl. “What the fuck are you doing you fucking idiot? Let her go, whatever issues you fucking turds have are with me, leave her the fuck out of it.”

“Quiet,” the Morty leading him said quietly as he flicked his wrist softly, and to my surprise, it was quite effective. “Mortys, don’t allow him to get anywhere near that Nova.”

“M-Morty? You’re not my Morty. Where is my Morty?” I asked urgently.

“I’m surprised to see you care so much, I’ve been living with you for almost a month and you haven’t even noticed I wasn’t your Morty,” Morty said in a controlled voice. This Morty was an anomaly. Where my Morty was generally shy and nervous, this one was confident and meticulous. It was like he’d been body-snatched.

My eyes shot to Rick, who was wearing a look of furious disbelief but as he opened his mouth to speak, no sound came out. “What do you mean? What did you do to my Morty?” I asked in his stead.

“Nothing of consequence.” He paused and chuckled before changing the subject smoothly, “You know Nova, my version of you died when I was twelve. Seeing you hurt is not something I want, it’s just a necessary evil for right now. You are safe and you will return to your home when I’m finished here.”

“Wh-What are you doing Morty?” I asked nervously. “Why did you bring us here?”

“You know how my Nova died?” Morty asked, disregarding my questions. “Unsurprisingly, being a Nova with a Ryan, she was killed by him last year. Leave him, Nova. You’ll be better for it.”

“Morty, what are you doing? Why did you bring us here?” I asked again, my own rage forming in my gut.

“Rick, why don’t you tell her what we’re doing here,” he asked smugly, flicking his wrist again to allow Rick to speak.

“You little fucking piece of shit, I’ll fucking kill you. I should’ve killed all of those fucking Morty’s when I was at that piece of shit’s fucking lair-”

Another flick of Morty’s wrist and he was silent again. “I should thank you though Rick, thanks to you I can finally go after the Citadel as I wanted.” He led Rick to a crudely made computer set up, strapping him in as he tossed a helmet on his head, flicking his wrist. “Look familiar Rick?”

“Oh jesus fucking christ, this thing again. Still depending on that Rick’s inventions to get by?” Rick spat at him viciously. Morty laughed quietly, shaking his head.

“Oh, you stupid fucking bastard,” he chuckled, forcing the helmet on Rick’s head. “Make sure Nova can see,” he ordered the other Mortys. I was finally released, rubbing my wrists gently as the Mortys led me to the screen while still keeping me a safe distance from Rick. My eyes sought his out, trying to make sense of the situation but instead, he was fixated on the screen in front of him.

A slideshow of memories played, mostly times I’d had no party to and some I had. It all kept coming back to one, my voice on repeat. “ _ I want you, I want you, I want you.  _ ” It repeated over and over. Other memories would play, but that was almost like the soundtrack to them all. Rick finally broke his gaze as a memory of us facing off against a small army of gummy bears. He hesitantly let his eyes fall on me, shame forcing them away when they meet mine.

“Is that what gets you through the day?” Morty sneered at Rick. “Absolutely pathetic.”

“Why are you doing this?” my voice shook as I spoke and I continued to stare at Rick as he returned his eyes to the screen. Morty didn’t answer as a sadistic grin formed on his face. Another memory started, a late night on Beth’s couch, Rick playing with my hair as we watched an episode of Cornless. Morty’s grin faltered and he looked angry again. “What’s wrong Morty? Not finding the answers you were hoping for?”

“Ricks are incapable of love,” he growled at Rick. “What are you playing at here you old fuck?”

“We’re not incapable of love, you stupid turd,” Rick yelled back at his alternate grandson. “We just tend to think it’s a waste of fucking time.”

“So why are you wasting time on this Nova?” Morty snarled, glaring at me viciously.

“B-Because when it comes to her, i-its not a waste of time,” Rick shot back venomously. His gaze fell on me momentarily, giving me a tender look before returning to Morty. “D-Didn’t your Rick ever have a fucking Nova?”

“No,” he replied simply, his face returning to his previous emotionless composure. “He had no interest in her. He didn’t care about anyone though, it’s not exactly shocking.”

“What do you want from us, Morty?” I hissed, interrupting them. “Are you trying to get revenge because you had a shitty hand dealt to you and got a shit Rick?”

“It’s funny you ask that Nova,” he smirked, grabbing me by my arm and pulling me with surprising strength to a small chair just out of arm’s reach of Rick. “There’s something deep within him that’s going to show you his true nature. Ricks don’t care about Mortys, they don’t care about Beths and they certainly don’t care about Novas. We’re all tools for his selfish fucking gains.”

“I-Isn’t that what every one is for every fucking one else?” Rick glared. “Nova and Beth weren’t friends out of the goodness of each other's hearts. They both got something out of the friendship.”

“What does Nova get out of her ‘friendship’ with you then, Rick? How do you allow yourself to use her up until she’s wasted away like every fucking one else around you?” Morty demanded, getting so close to Rick he could surely smell the vodka on his breath. 

“Wh-Why are you asking me?” Rick spat in his face. Morty took a calming breath, stepping back to wipe the saliva off of his face. “Th-That’s not up to me, that’s up to Nova.” Morty turned, looking at me expectantly.

“I-I l-like being around h-him,” I stammered, earning an eye roll from Morty. “I-I’ve always felt safe around Rick.”

“That’s all you got?” Morty scoffed, “You tolerate Rick because you like him and he makes you feel ‘safe’? That’s the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard in my life. Ricks can’t keep anyone but themselves safe.” My eyes finally met Rick’s, a surprisingly soft look in them as he nodded gently.

“You want to know why I spend every goddamn day with him, Morty?” My rage was starting to boil within me again and I stood up, towering over the small boy. “Because I love the idiot. Because I see him for more than you’ve ever seen him or your own Rick or ANY Rick for that matter. He can be gentle and tender and caring, you just have to give him an opportunity.”

“Oh, what the fuck ever-”

“No, you emotionally stunted little shit. I don’t know what your Rick did to you, I don’t care if he strapped car batteries to your fucking nipples, this is going too fucking far. This is an innocent Rick.” I turned to the Mortys surrounded us, their emotionless facade cracking. “Why are you guys even here? Why are you guys supporting this fucking lunatic Morty?” Bowl Morty, the one that had woken me up, appeared behind me, wrestling with my arms in an attempt to bind them behind my back.

“I-I’m not a lunatic,” Leader Morty snarled at me. “What are you trying to do Aunt Nova? Do you really think you can win all these Morty’s to your side? Some of them don’t even know who the fuck you are.”

“Shut up Morty,” I glared as I broke free from Bowl Morty and pushed him away from me. I dared a glance at Rick, who was slowly but silently burning away the metal bonds with his cybernetic arms. I looked into the crowd of Mortys, most of them looking up at me in confusion as their eyes bounced between their leader and me. “You- Why are you here?” I asked pointing at one of them.

“Wh-When the Evil Rick kidnapped me, he killed my entire family, I had nowhere to go,” he told me sadly.

“So you decided to launch a campaign against every Rick in existence?” I asked harshly. He winced and shrugged up at me. I sought out another one, asking him the same.

“I-I couldn’t live on the citadel. When it was destroyed, I lost my home. M-Morty found me, a-and offered me a better life. N-Now he won’t let me go home.” I ignored the pang of guilt, knowing it had been my Rick’s fault that things had gotten so fucked up for him.

“H-How many of you are here because of the destruction of the citadel?” I asked, my voice faltering despite my best efforts. All but two of them raised their hands, the Leader and Bowl Morty. I raised an eyebrow at the latter, “Why are you here?”

“Because I fucking hate Ri-” A laser grazing his shoulder interrupted him as he fell to the ground, writhing in agony. Rick had finally sawed through his bonds, grabbing the Leader Morty and wrestling him into a chair. He pulled out two small discs that expanded and wrapped around the arms of the chair and Morty’s wrists, effectively binding him to the chair.

“If the rest of you little shits want to leave here alive, you better sit down and shut up. I don’t want any fucking funny business,” Rick shot darkly at the meek boys surrounding us. A few fled down the tunnels while the rest huddled together in terror. I moved closer to offer them some form of comfort as Rick returned to their leader. “Where the fuck is our Morty?” he hissed at him.

“Wouldn’t you like to know.”

“Oh, if you wanna be difficult, I have a lot of pent up rage and aggression after having my innermost feelings and thoughts put up for everyone to see,” Rick glowered. When Morty didn’t relent, Rick took a shot at his legs, missing by only a hair and instead just singeing his pants. Morty paled despite his best attempts to remain calm.

“Morty, just tell us what you did with Morty N-682,” I glared at him from the sea of Mortys now clinging to my side.

“He’s fine,” Morty shrugged as he struggled against Rick’s metallic bonds. I gently released my thigh from a weeping Morty and walked over to Morty. I put both of my hands over his, getting right next to his face.

“Tell me where the fuck my godson is,” I murmured sweetly into his ear. He squirmed beneath me, trying to resist the teenage hormones I was playing on to get him to talk.

“H-He’s on the citadel okay!” he squeaked and I pushed away from him.

“Where on the Citadel is he?” Rick snarled. 

“I-I can show you.” I dug through his pockets, dismayed when the portal gun was nowhere to be found.

“H-He has one in his room.” The weeping Morty spoke up quickly before disappearing down a small rock corridor. He returned quickly, presenting us with a crudely made portal gun. The usual green swirl on the top was discolored and was more yellow than green.

“The fuck did you do to my portal gun?” Rick snarled at Leader Morty. He investigated further, quiet realization dawning on his face. “Th-This isn’t my portal gun, where is it?”

“Shattered somewhere on this planet I guess,” he grinned up at Rick, “I made this one myself.”

“You little fucking shit,” Rick growled, punching in coordinates into the citadel and opening a yellow portal in front of us. “Can’t have Nova going through a fucked-up portal. Why don’t you do us the honors.” He told Leader Morty, pushing him toward the opening.

“If it kills him, we won’t be able to find our Morty.” I murmured to Rick, much to his frustration. He grabbed Bowl Morty instead, forcefully shoving him through the abnormal portal. He seemed satisfied with the results, pushing the rest of the Mortys through before we made our way through behind them. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I reached the other side. The citadel had been mostly rebuilt and looked even better than it had before. Small statues had been erected in honor of the original council but a flyer beneath them told me they had decided to go a more democratic route in deciding who would lead the citadel for the foreseeable future.

“Now where is my Morty, you piece of garbage?” Rick demanded, pointing his laser pistol at him as he watched the captive Morty’s flee from around us, scattering to the wind. I rested my hand on his arm soothingly as he groaned in frustration. 

“Let’s just get this over with.”

“Y-Your Morty is in Mortytown,” Leader Morty finally revealed, leading us down a dark alley into an admittedly rough part of town. Mortys eyed us distrustfully as we passed, but they all seemed to restrain when they saw me joining them. We arrived at a derelict building, not completely unlike the one Scar Rick had been living in. I led the two up the steps cautiously, much to Rick’s ire.

“It’s not fucking safe.”

“Would you prefer my untrained ass being the one ensuring this Morty doesn’t get away?” I shot back.

“You know how to use a gun right? You just pull the trigger if he starts to run,” he explained sarcastically, handing me the pistol and taking the lead. He engaged his arm gun with a couple of button presses on his arm. His pointer finger shifted into the gun barrel he had been working on, “I guess we get to find out how well it works,” he shrugged at me, edging into the building carefully as he watched our blindspots.

“Go to the top floor,” Morty told him wearily. We climbed the creaking stairs, careful to avoid falling through them as they groaned under our weight. I covered my nose and mouth at the disgusting smell that seemed to be getting stronger the higher up we went. Morty watched as I lowered my weapon and braced myself on the railing, trying to put as little weight on the distressed wood as possible. “Au-Aunt Nova, do you really think the railings in this shit heap are going to be any better than the stairs?” he chastised me. I blushed but returned my weapon to his back, following close behind until we finally reached the top floor.

“Nova, st-stay out here with this little shit,” Rick ordered softly, checking his weapon before checking the doorknob. It was surprisingly unlocked, and we were greeted with the battle roar of at least five Mortys as they sprang from within. Rick aimed at them and took them out quickly, much to my horror. Amidst the chaos, the Leader Morty slipped away from my control, whipping down the stairs quickly Before I could even attempt to get a shot off at him, he disappeared through the front door and was gone. 

“I’m so sorry Rick,” I cried as he pulled me into a tight embrace. Pressed against his lapel, I was spared from the stench emanating from the room in front of us. I allowed his smell to encapsulate me, even giving me a heady feeling as he pecked small kisses on the top of my head.

“N-Nova, it's okay. You’re okay. I’ll get that little shit next time, it’ll be fine, I promise,” he consoled me, continuing to pepper kisses on my face before pulling my chin up to kiss me properly.

“R-Rick, wait.” I pulled away, covering my nose and pointing to the door in front of us. “Let’s get Morty home.” He nodded sharply, venturing further into the room. I knelt to check the Mortys that had emerged, relieved to find them still breathing from beneath me. It had been a controlled shock that Rick used to sedate them.

I breathed a sigh of relief and followed him into the dim room, gingerly feeling around on the wall in search of a light switch. The putrid stench was overwhelming, and I brought my shirt up to my nose in disgust to try to save the few nose hairs I had left. Rick flicked his flashlight on illuminating the disgusting room around us. Molded cans of vegetables littered the floor around us along with actual feces kept in buckets around the room. I couldn’t contain my disgust any more, returning to the landing to vomit spectacularly.

“Y-You okay, Nova?” Rick called from the small room, his voice getting further away.

“I-I’m just gonna stay out here with the Mortys okay?” I told him, my voice wavering under the threat of throwing up more stomach acid.

“Make sure one of them isn’t him, okay?”

At his word, I started investigating the fourteen-year-old boys splayed out in front of me. I wasn’t sure exactly how he expected me to be able to tell the difference between them, they all looked exactly the same. I thought for a moment, trying to remember some difference that would truly differentiate my Morty but I was coming up blank. Rick emerged from the disgusting apartment empty-handed, concern apparent on his face as he looked over the five Mortys on the ground.

“We’ll have to wait until they wake up,” he groaned. I was not looking forward to spending even another minute in this hellhole but thankfully as I groaned, one of the Mortys joined me in unison. He looked over at me, dazed and rubbing his head before a look of terror crossed his face. Rick grabbed him quickly, bringing his face mere inches from his own, “What dimension are you from?” he hissed at the boy. 

“F-329,” Morty told him, his voice shaking. Rick released him quickly, urging him to get lost as we waited for another Morty to come to. Just as the front door slammed behind the first another Morty started waking up. I stepped in between Rick and the poor boy, opting to do the interrogating on my own.

“Hey Morty,” I started softly, “what dimension are you from kiddo?”

“R-495.” Another Morty sent packing. Two started stirring at the same time, and I glared at Rick as we approached them.

“T-580.”

“H-692.”

We eyed the last one, gingerly sitting up to look at the two of us nervously. “Where are you from?”

“N-682.”

Thank fucking god.

* * *

We used Leader Morty’s portal gun to portal home, Rick still apprehensive to use what he called “flawed technology” but it turned out he’d rather use it than ask for help from the Citadel. We arrived home safe and sound, Morty still absolutely traumatized by whatever he’d been through over the past month. Rick said nothing, instead, he led the stunned boy into the laboratory he’d built under the house. When I moved to follow them, he held up his hand and told me to stay in the garage to wait for him. I flopped into my chair, opening my laptop to scroll through my social media feeds as I waited.

“(Y/N)?”

The voice at the garage door startled me, almost knocking me completely out of my chair. “W-What do you want?” I sputtered, desperately trying to steady my breathing.

“I was hoping you’d be ready to talk about things and maybe come home?” he asked sheepishly. He started to walk into the garage but a small ceiling-mounted laser shot at his feet, stopping him in his tracks.

“No Ryan, I’m not ready to come home,” I told him flatly, disregarding his stunned face and returning to my laptop. “Madi won’t be home until the middle of August. We’ll talk then.”

“(Y/N)-”

“You heard the lady,” Rick shot at him, emerging from the basement with a chipper looking Morty at his side. “She doesn’t want to see you right now.” Ryan tried to argue, only to receive a dangerous glare from Rick before slumping his shoulders and finally walking away defeated. 

“I’m going to have to deal with that soon,” I sighed, leaning back into my chair and watching Morty. “H-Hey kiddo, how ya doin?”

“I’m great Aunt Nova. I can’t believe you’re living with us now! I’m really glad you got away from Mr. Dawes,” he told me, hugging me tightly before waving goodbye and disappearing into the rest of the house. 

“Wh-What did you do to him?” I asked, my eyes bugging out slightly at the sheer night and day effect Rick had produced.

“I-I just erased the last month from his memory.” Rick shrugged, pulling my arm gently to get me to stand.

“You what?” I asked nervously. He ignored my question, opting to bury his face in my hair as he embraced me instead. “You okay?” I asked hesitantly, wrapping my arms around him.

“I was so scared, Nova,” he murmured, his voice muffled by my hair. “I didn’t mean to leave you behind, I’m so sorry. I thought you were right behind me and when I turned around and you weren’t there, jesus Nova I thought you were dead,” he rambled.

“W-We’re okay,” I soothed him as his body trembled against me. I was unsure of how to help, how to soothe a man who I never thought would need it, so I just kept talking, “I’m here, I’m safe with you.”

“I just got so worked up about Morty and when you said you felt safe with me-” His voice hitched a moment and he cleared his throat before continuing, “Nova, that meant more to me than you know.” I moved to kiss him again but Beth interrupted with a quick knock on the door. We broke apart just as she pushed the door open, me returning to my chair and Rick standing over his desk, trying to look interested in whatever gadget he picked up first.

“Dad, I don’t know what you did on your adventure today, but I have to thank you for attitude change in Morty.” She walked in and immediately a suspicious look crossed her face. “I’m glad you two have gotten so close.” 

“She’s just handy to have around.” Rick waved his hand dismissively at me as he wrapped his arm around his daughter’s shoulders. “Don’t w-worry sweetie, you’ll always be my baby girl.”

Beth beamed under her father’s embrace and when he released her, her smile lingered. “Dinner will be done soon you two if you’re hungry.” She gave a parting wave before disappearing back into the house.

“In the other dimensions, how does Beth usually take it when they find out their father is into their best friend?” I asked nervously, staring at the door she disappeared through. 

“W-Well, m-most Ricks, they, uh, try not let her find out,” Rick told me, rubbing the back of his neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be careful, there gon' be the smuts past here.


	10. Electric Feel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh, thar be smuts here, warning to all those ye enter here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up RIGHT where the last one left off. I actually had to split it up in two because it was getting too long (I usually like to get 5,500-6,000 words per chapter) and this is like last chapter part two.
> 
> There be smuts, and I haven't written smut in a very very long time so don't judge me. It's also pretty vanilla, but I was like, Nova's not exactly in the know about all the wild ass kinks out there, I imagine her sex life isn't... ya know... rewarding.
> 
> Also there is just smut to be smut. They had to bang eventually and I was getting pretty irritated that I couldn't exactly find a place to fit it in sooooooooooooooooo... I just made 'em fuck. #yolo

“I’m gonna go help Beth with dinner,” I sighed, pecking a kiss on Rick’s cheek and making my way into the main of the house. The cool AC made me acutely aware of the filth covering my skin so when Beth assured me she didn’t need any help, I quickly settled on taking a shower. The warm cascade enveloped me and it was all I could do not to moan at it. I grabbed my body scrub, using it to ensure the filth of that decrepit building would be eradicated. After I was through with the hair on my head, I grabbed my razor and neatly cleaned up any stray hairs before toweling off and coating myself in my lotion to ensure there was no way that putrid smell would be lingering on my skin. I dressed, pulling on a pair of loose fabric shorts and a thin tank top, making sure to drop my clothes and towel off at the laundry before making my way to the kitchen.

“Oh, Nova sweetie, perfect timing,” Beth greeted me, grabbing the last dish from the counter and taking it into the dining room. “We’re having meatloaf for dinner tonight, Morty’s favorite,” she beamed at her son who fidgeted nervously in his chair. Beth caught me up on her day and asked me about the job hunt as we shared a bottle of wine. It broke my heart to tell her it was going dismally, but she assured me it was okay, that I didn’t even have to worry about it, much to Jerry’s frustration.

“So it’s okay if Nova can’t get a job, but me not being able to find one is the end of the world?” he snapped at his wife only to receive a dangerous glare in return.

“Well, when you start bringing in any actual income, then you can have an opinion on the financial decisions of this household again,” she told him sharply.

“I’m thinking about starting looking in the next town over,” I assured her, trying to salve the conversation before it became even more hostile. “I think the salon I worked at here badmouthed me to some of the others in town.”

“Nova, I’m serious. It’s okay,” she assured me, resting her hand on mine before completely changing the subject, “I saw Ryan was here again.”

“I’m not sure how I’m going to get him to accept that I'm not coming home,” I lamented, pushing the remaining peas on my plate around, before sitting back into my chair, frustrated.

“Well no matter what, you’re welcome, hell you’re encouraged to stay here with me. This is the happiest I’ve seen you in years. If you need somewhere for Madi, I’m sure Summer wouldn’t mind sharing her room with her.”

“Oh, great, just move her whole household in with us,” Jerry spat bitterly.

“Jerry, if you have an issue with me inviting my friend to live with us to help her escape her abusive household, then you and I can discuss it privately as we pack your bags so you can move out,” she threatened evenly, “Here’s a plan, why don’t you just go live with Ryan.”

“We could raise Summer, Morty, and Madi as the nice lesbian couple we were always meant to be,” I grinned at her, glancing at Rick to find him rolling his eyes.

“Oh my, it’s been since high school,” she murmured dreamily, resting her hand back on mine, “We definitely picked the wrong path.” Rick’s eyes bulged again as Jerry smiled nervously as his eyes flicked between us. 

“Mom!” Summer shouted, finally fed up with the conversation.

“Calm down Summer, it’s just a running joke your Aunt and I have had since we were kids,” Beth told her dismissively and Rick seemed to relax in his chair.

“I spent so much time at your Mom’s house, and teenagers suck,” I shrugged at her, “They were convinced we were gay and rather than argue against it and be bullied for it, we just rolled with it.”

“H-How did I not know about that?” Jerry asked, confused, “I never even heard that rumor.”

“Your ignorance truly knows no bounds, Jerry,” Rick told him gruffly.

“Oh, like you had any idea.”

“Oh, I’ve heard about this rumor before,” he told him smartly, picking up his plate and returning it to the kitchen. “I’m going to go watch TV, I can’t stand listening to you guys squabble anymore. Thank you for dinner sweetie, everything was delicious.” He kissed Beth on the top of her head and headed for the living room.

* * *

When dinner was finally cleaned up and all the dishes and another wine bottle or two were put away, Beth bid me goodnight and I was left to join Rick on the couch. Admittedly, my head was spinning from the wine as I plopped down next to him, my usual inhibitions not present to stop me from using my fingers to walk up his thigh slowly. He flushed, barking at Summer and Morty about it being time for bed, regardless of what season it was, or the fact it was only 8:30. When they finally disappeared upstairs with two slams of their respective doors, Rick mimicked my walking motion with his own hand on my upper thigh, sending chills down my spine as he moved further up my leg. My head was set in a blissful haze so despite my usual reservations courtesy of nerves, I climbed into his lap like I had done only twice before and pushed my lips onto his hungrily. He returned the kiss swiftly, working his hand up under my shorts to roughly grip my ass. My hips fell into a comfortable rotation as his free hand traced around my breasts. 

“W-Wait. Nova, w-wait,” he groaned as my hips picked up the pace. I paused my hips to pull away and look down, only even more turned on at the sight of him looking up at me so desperately. “A-Are you ready for this? Like, really ready?” 

“Rick, I was going to wait around forever if I was going to depend on you to make a move,” I breathed into his ear before kissing from his ear down to his neck.

“Let’s go to my room,” he told me, already staving off a moan as I bit his neck gently. “I-It’s soundproofed, they won’t hear us.” He reached for his portal gun, groaning as he remembered his had been destroyed and its bastardized replacement was still sitting on his work desk.

“Oh, you mean they won’t hear me as I moan on your co-” 

”Jesus fucking christ Nova,” he swore, grabbing my wrist and dragging me behind him down the hall to his room. Closing the door behind him, he surveyed me heatedly under the cool blue light of the TV at the foot of his bed. “Are you sure you want this Nova?” he asked again, watching lustfully as I traced my hands up and down my body.

“Rick, would you please stop asking that question?” I whined, “I’m a goddamn adult and I want you. I want you to touch me, I want to feel your hands on me.”

“I can taste the wine on your breath,” he eyed me suspiciously. I let out a frustrated groan, moving toward him again, only to receive his hand pressed flat to my chest. “There is an enormous amount of self-restraint being used here, Nova. I don’t want to do anything that you might regret.”

Instead of answering, I pushed past his hand and walked him back to the small cot he used as a bed. After giving him a gentle shove, he dropped onto the cot as I climbed back on top of him. If he was going to be stubborn, then for once in his life he was going to have to let someone else take control. I held his gaze as I carefully guided his hand up my thigh and under my shorts. He bit back a low groan as he felt how soaked my panties were already. I continued to guide his fingers under the cotton to swirl around the most sensitive part of me to allow him to fully appreciate how ‘ready’ I was.

 I leaned my head back as he twirled around the delicate button, letting out a moan of my own as I felt the pleasure already started to build in my gut. Gently tugging his hand away, I brought his fingers up to his mouth to allow him a sinful taste. He rolled his head back, trying to resist his most primal urges at the taste of me on his fingers.

“Is that ready enough for you Rick?” I purred, brushing my lips over his ear. I felt a shockwave reverberate through his entire body, culminating in a low growl rumbling from within. With a loud moan, he let go of his reservations, working his hands up under my shorts again, gripping my ass tightly as he kissed around my neck. 

“Jesus fucking christ Nova,” he swore again as his hands grazed over me, gripping me desperately like he just couldn’t get enough of the feeling of my skin. I reveled in his affection, cooing as he traced his fingers down my thighs, really taking his time to explore my body. His mouth moved away from my neck, pulling off my shirt and kissing up my torso as it was slowly revealed to him. I unsnapped my bra, letting the straps fall over my shoulders as he kissed the area where it still met my skin. He peppered small kisses and love bites all over my torso, moaning as I ground my hips against his.

“I want you, Rick,” I moaned again, feasting on the reaction the four words seemed to elicit from him without fail. He finished removing my bra and tossed it aside, taking one of my nipples gently into his mouth as he swirled his tongue around it. “I love you,” I cooed again and again. Even though he never said it back, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the words were true. I let my head fall back as he swirled his tongue around my nipples, the words serving to only spur him on further. He kissed down my abdomen, lightly nipping as his touch became desperately rougher yet. Displeased there were parts of my body his mouth couldn’t quite reach, he picked me up and tossed me down on the bed, pausing to carefully memorize every curve of my body. Under anyone else’s scrutinizing gaze, I would’ve felt insecure and at least would’ve tried to cover my exposure, but Rick’s gaze was one of genuine adoration and affection. His eyes traced around my curves, coming back up to mine with a look of amazement before a light shake of his head broke him from his reverie. He quickly removed his lab coat and shirt, tossing them aside to give me my first real view of his ‘new and improved’ body. It was my turn to drink him in astonishment, following the lean muscles and scars covering his arms and chest. As my eyes traversed his body, I wanted nothing more than to sit up and pepper kisses on the exposed skin, yet as I started to move he gently pressed his hand to my chest again forcing me back down on the bed.

“Not yet.”

He slid my shorts down, leaving me with only my panties as he returned to my mouth. Feeling his skin against mine would have been enough to drive me wild but he shoved his hand between my thighs, gently rubbing my throbbing mound with only my panties serving as a barrier as my hips bucked against him, yearning for more. He chuckled as he watched me fall apart underneath him so easily and quickened his circular assault.

“Rick, please,” I whimpered, the words barely even audible. He relented, slipping his hand beneath my panties and taking my swollen clit between his fingers gently before moving his hand up and down at the most torturously slow speed imaginable. I groaned again but before I could truly speak he kissed me again, massaging his tongue into mine. His hand was picking up speed, my back arching as I neared my release. “RICK!” I cried when it finally crashed around me and he looked down at me in surprise, a small grin tickling his cheeks.

“B-Been awhile, huh?” he asked, his voice husky. I nodded shamefully, unable to fully form words in my catatonic blissful state. “It would be a shame to waste it, w-would you mind if I cleaned up the mess you made for my hand?” A distant feeling of confusion flooded my head as I looked down to see the alleged mess, only to find nothing. Still, I nodded slowly, a whole new feeling of pleasure coursing through me as he started lapping up my orgasm. He was agonizingly gentle around my electrified clit, swirling his tongue around my folds to make sure he got every last drop that I’d left for him. He moved down to my opening, humming against it softly.

“You’re such a good girl.” Chills shot down my spine again as I brought my hips up, forcing his face back into me. “That’s my good girl, show me how you want me to eat your pussy baby.” He lifted my legs over his shoulders, allowing me the proper leverage to grind his face into me haphazardly. He tapped my thigh gently, signaling me to stop. 

“Here, let me show you how I want to eat your pussy,” he grinned, clearly amused by my eager albeit inexperienced ass. Sitting up, he pulled my lower half up with him, leaving my head the only part of me touching the bed as his tongue fucked me. His hands were busy holding us up so it was up to me to stimulate my clit in front of him. He gently rested me back on the bed at the sight, deciding it wasn’t a worthwhile position if he couldn’t be the one doing all the work. He forced my hand away, taking up its position with his tongue as he slid a finger within, gently massaging the tender ball of nerves that could send me over the edge again. 

“Oh, fuck Rick!” I exclaimed, my hands on the back of his head as he slipped another finger inside of me.

“Say my fucking name baby. Tell me who makes you fucking come,” he hummed into my clit, sending a pleasure shockwave through my entire body.

“Ung, you do Rick!” I cried out in ecstasy as pleasure rocketed through my entire system. He didn’t stop, continuing to circle my clit and finger fucking me until my entire body had stopped shuddering. 

“You’re amazing,” I purred when I regained the ability to speak. The words still came out slurred and I sat up, my knees no better than noodles as I climbed off of the bed.

“Wh-Where are you going?” he asked, nervously watching me stumble around his bedroom. I smiled devilishly at him, slinking down in front of him to unbuckle his belt and pull down his pants. His cock sprung free from within and I bit my lip at the sight, trying to resist the carnal urge to sink down on it instead. I swallowed it eagerly, earning me an elongated groan as his legs twitched. I used one hand to engulf him completely as I slid him in and out of my mouth, using the other to cup his balls in my hand, massaging them softly. I spared an innocent glance up at him, ensuring he could get a nice long view of his cock in my mouth. His eyes rolled back at the sight, grabbing my hair and pushing me back down on his cock until I gagged. He let me up for air, marveling at the sight of my chin dripping with spit before pushing my head back down again, this time adopting a steady rhythm for my head bob to. 

“Jesus fucking christ Nova,” he rasped, his lower half twitching more and more. “I can’t fucking take it,” he hissed, releasing my head to pull me up into his lap. I brought my mouth to his again as I perched myself over him, sinking slowly onto his cock, the leftover saliva allowing it to easily slide right in. I indulged in the feeling of how genuinely full I felt before bracing myself on his shoulders, slowly moving up and down until I found the right rhythm.

“Holy fuck,” I swore as he fell into my rhythm, pounding into me hard enough to make my knees weak. “Fuck me Rick, jesus fucking christ, just fuck me,” I told him, resting back onto my knees to allow him better access. 

“Jesus, Nova,” he murmured, pulling me closer to him, “Your pussy is fucking amazing.” In one deft movement, he scooped me up and rested me on my back, hovering above me as sweat dripped from his brow at the sheer effort he was exerting. I wrapped my arms around my legs, pulling them into my chest. This only quickened his pace as he grunted on top of me, dipping down to kiss me and bite my lip as he pulled away. I let out a guttural moan at the sensation and Rick’s eyes lit up at the sound. He pressed firmly albeit gently into the sides of my throat and I let out a strangled cry of pleasure. Somehow his pace quickened even more as he buried himself in me again and again as I begged for more from beneath him. He released my throat, gripping my breast in his hand as he continued pumping harder and harder. His other hand found its way around to my clit, swirling around it much faster than before. 

“Come with me baby, I want to feel come on cock,” he begged gruffly as his hand rubbed around my clit frenetically. My arms unwittingly released my legs as my third orgasm ripped through my body and I could only dig my nails into him, crying out his name. He continued slamming into me, though he had lost all rhythm as it became a primal assault until finally, I felt his release within me, shooting hot come into me with a long animalistic growl. He rode out his own orgasm, and as his pace slowed, he pressed his forehead to mine with a tired smile. 

He grabbed his shirt, pushing it against me to trap most of his seed inside of me. I stood up awkwardly, trying to ignore the continuous waves of pleasure still coursing through me as I cleaned myself up. He flopped back onto his bed, watching me carefully as I pulled my shirt and panties back on as I searched for my shorts. 

“You’re not leaving are you?” he asked, confusion breaking through the lazy grin he had been watching me with. 

“Well, if Beth doesn’t find me on the couch in the morning, she’s going to freak the fuck out,” I reminded him, reclaiming my shorts and pulling them on as well. “You’re more than welcome to join me in the living room though. Never thought I’d say it, but I’m willing to bet that couch is more comfortable than that cot you sleep on,” I smirked. He groaned as he pulled himself off the cot and me into another deep kiss. I could’ve lost myself in the moment, the smell of his sweat mixing with the smell of my own and I was sure if anyone walked into the room in the next few weeks, they would know immediately what had happened here. Whatever small buzz I had going in had all but evaporated, leaving me with a slight hobble as we crept back out into the living room.

“Not going to lie, that’s really fucking hot to watch,” he murmured in my ear, grabbing my waist to pull me back into a rough kiss against the hallway wall. My eyes bulged as panic coursed through me, immediately imagining Summer or Beth strolling out here for a midnight snack only to find me making out with Rick, but as his hands snaked their way back under my shorts, I ultimately decided I didn’t care. Hell, he could just erase their memory like he’d done for Morty.

“Let’s go to the couch at least,” I murmured, quelling my lingering nerves. He picked me up, instructing me to wrap my legs around his waist. He continued his kiss as he carried me to the couch, pouring me out onto it. “Already ready for round two?” I teased when his mouth left mine, venturing further down to my neck.

“I just can’t stop touching you,” he murmured, “I don’t think I could ever get tired of the way you feel.” He trailed down my clavicle, using his nose to trace along the bone. I shuddered beneath him, but ultimately, and against the ache in my shorts, I pulled away.

“I don’t think I could do a round two right now,” I admitted, refusing to meet his gaze.

“Baby, I’m not even trying to fuck you right now,” he mused, tracing a small pattern on my thigh as he looked up at me, “I have to ask though, seeing as you started all this, what was the metaphorical straw that broke the even more metaphorical camel’s back?”

I was quiet for a moment, allowing him to go back sprinkling kisses all over my torso, whimpering at every light nibble. Ever since I kissed him on his ship, hell ever since I used him as a buffer to distract Faux Rick I’d wanted this. It had been the all too frequent subject of my dreams ever since he’d returned, no matter how angry or frustrated I’d been with him and it only amplified when I started sleeping ten feet away from him. “I guess the only thing that changed was tonight, I bypassed my reservations,” I murmured.

“You didn’t need to have any reservations when it comes to me, baby girl. Any time of the day you find yourself needing a release, you let me know.”

“I’ll have to bear that in mind.”

* * *

 When I awoke the following morning, Rick was passed out on the floor next to me, his hand only inches away from mine where it had slipped from my grasp. Despite the cliche, it almost felt like a whole different world. The sun shined brighter, smiles came easier, and even the sight of Ryan at the front door in another sad attempt to beg me to come home seemed less daunting. I couldn’t help but grin to myself at a joke only one other person in the entire world knew the punchline to. Rick even seemed to regard his family in a more friendly manner, not snapping at Jerry as he yelled at about some other minor infraction.

Rick dragged Morty and me out on another off-world adventure at the sight of Ryan, not ready to let him burst the small bubble we found ourselves in. It was an in and out trip, Rick only stopping off for some small but necessary part for his new portal gun. He had dismantled Leader Morty’s gun, the exact mechanics of it alluding him, much to his ire. According to him, there’s no way it should even be functional, let alone not tearing us to shreds every time we stepped through it.

“What if he’s tracking it?” Morty asked nervously as he eyed the device. Rick had filled him in on the details of the encounter with Leader Morty, editing it in places to fit in with the concurrent story of Morty having stayed home because he didn’t feel like going. It did, however, leave Morty pretty confused when a frustrated Jerry yelled at him for not attending the very important sex talk he had planned.

“Not sure what good that would do him,” Rick grumbled as we stepped through one of its portals, looking over it intently, “He already knows what dimension I’m in.” He returned to his workbench, shooing us out as he returned to investigate it. I conceded, heading out to the living room where I plopped down on the couch next to Beth to watch whatever Hallmark movie she had stumbled across to fill her afternoon. Several empty wine bottles littered the floor and at my arrival, she cracked open a new one insisting I needed to catch up.

“Oh Nova, here,” she offered the soft blanket she was using to cover her lap as she refilled her wine glass and offered it to me. “This movie is so sad,” she lamented as I finished off the glass, handing it back to her only to earn a free refill, “So this guy left her because she was so much younger than him because he wasn’t comfortable with the feelings he had for her. So he comes back, years later after traveling the world only to find out she’s his next-door neighbor.” My head spinning as I finished off another glass.

“That does sound good,” I murmured, handing the glass back to her as I tried to ignore the distinct parallels.

“Oh, that’s her asshole husband,” Beth slurred, pointing angrily at the TV, “He treats her like garbage and her old paramour tries to convince her to run away with him instead.”

“Does she?” I asked hollowly, watching the events she was describing unfold on the TV.

“I can’t remember honestly- Wait! She does leave her husband, it infuriates him though and he almost kills her until she rises up, and kills him herself,” Beth told me swaying back and forth as she handed me another glass of wine.

“Holy shit.” I finished the next glass, unable to stomach watching such a blatant metaphor for my life. I thanked her and stumbled back into the garage. Jesus christ, what kind of wine has Beth been buying? I braced myself against the wall, calling out desperately for Rick. My head was spinning as I finally crumpled against the wall, sliding down against the garage door as I tried to beat on to get Rick’s attention.

“Holy shit, what the fuck Nova?” he exclaimed as he opened the door. His face swirled around me, morphing into every kind of animal imaginable. “Wh-What happened, are you okay?” he asked urgently, trying to assess the situation.

“I-I think there’s some-something wrong with Beth’s w-wine.” I slurred, my eyes trying desperately to close.

“C-Come on Nova, stay with me,” Rick urged, shaking my shoulders gently before opting to just throw me over his shoulder to lay me out at his workbench. “T-Talk to me, baby.” His voice had lost its clinical urgency, replaced instead by confusion and fear.

“I-I didn’t d-drink that much,” I muttered, my eyes closing despite my best attempts to force them open. “Th-Three gl-glasses at most?” He spoke more but it all sounded like radio static as the world around me faded to black.

* * *

+Rick+

* * *

Watching her fade in and out was the most gutwrenching fucking feeling I had ever experienced. She stared into my eyes, full of trust and fear as she slid in and out of consciousness. I grabbed a syringe, drawing blood for a toxicology report. I shoved the sample into my machine, cursing it for taking so goddamn long. 

“R-Rick?” Morty called from behind me, panic seeping into his voice as he rushed to Nova’s side, “Wh-What happened? Is she okay?”

“A-Apparently she drank some of your mom’s wine and it did… this,” I gestured wildly to her limp form, “D-Do me a favor and go check on your mom okay?” I ordered, reaching for my flask to steady my nerves before thinking better of it. If this had something to do with alcohol consumption, then I couldn’t be taking any chances. Morty dashed back into the house, leaving me to swear at my machine as I continued to wait for the results to print. As Morty opened the garage door, the machine dinged and a long list started printing at a snail's pace. 

“Mom’s fine, she’s just drunk as shit and crying over some stupid movie,” he told me as I ripped the print out off, reading it quickly.

Nothing abnormal.

What the fuck is going on?

I read over the print out again, looking for anything that could possibly be the cause of Nova blubbering on my workbench but nothing immediately popped out at me. Sounds of gagging broke me from my studies. To my horror, Nova had begun gasping for air, suffocating on her vomit. I rolled her over on her side, the regurgitated wine pouring out of her mouth in the most graceless way. I dug my fingers into her mouth, doing my best to clear her airway as she began gagging again. She vomited spectacularly, spraying my pants and the floor. I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself against mimicking her.

“Morty, go get a bucket or something,” I ordered as she continued to produce more and more bile. He hurried back into the house, reappearing at the doorway with a large mixing bowl, damp washcloth and a green tint to his face. “Just go Morty.” I barked, sending him away with a sharp finger at the house. I folded the washcloth on her forehead, much to her satisfaction it seemed as she mewled softly underneath it. “It’s okay baby, I’ll figure out whatever is going on, I promise you,” I assured her softly, scooping up some of the vomit to test its toxicology.

“R-Rick,” she murmured weakly. At least she was talking again, maybe whatever caused this was finally out of her system? “R-Rick, I-I’m s-sorry,” she slurred, rolling back onto her back and clumsily adjusted the washcloth. It unfolded as soon as she picked it up and she pulled it over her entire face, shivering in relief at the feeling.

“Nova, what on Earth could you possibly be sorry for?” I chuckled in disbelief.

“I-I didn’t mean to th-throw up on you,” she slurred, holding her stomach as she rolled around on the table. “I-Is B-Beth okay? Sh-She s-seemed alright, she was just w-wine d-drunk already.”

“Morty said she was just drunk-crying on the couch about some movie.”

“Th-That m-movie was w-weird Rick.” She tried sitting up, making it to her elbows only to groan and lay back again. “I-It was like it w-was about us, Rick.”

“Wh-What do you mean it was a-about u-us?” I stammered, my eyes wide at the implications.

“I-I mean, it was al-almost our…whatever this is to a f-fucking T.”

“W-We’ll worry about that later,” I told her dismissively, “I just want to get you better first.” The machine dinged again, printing out at that goddamn snail’s pace until I could finally rip the print out off.

Altherium? Drathatine? What the fuck?

“Rick?!” Morty called anxiously, doing his best to carry his mother into the garage as she sprayed the garage with vomit. “Something’s wrong with Mom!”

“Shit, okay, put her in my chair, I think I know how to fix this,” I ordered. Morty wrestled her into the chair, grabbing the mixing bowl from Nova and shoving it Beth’s hands. I pulled out my computer, typing into it furiously as I desperately searched for anything that could counteract the effects of the poison in Nova’s stomach. I ran a test on Beth’s vomit as well, only to come up with the same results. “M-Morty, go find me every bottle of wine that your mom has finished off today.”

“L-Let me help,” Nova pleaded, finally in a sitting position as she tried to slide off the workbench, “I-I know which one it was, I can h-help, l-let me help.” I sighed, knowing there was no arguing with her about it. Morty took his aunt around his shoulders, offering support as she stumbled back into the house. In their absence, I finally found the antidote, two parts garathyme, and one part emardium. I mixed it quickly, pouring it down Beth’s gullet. She gagged against the wretched taste but almost instantly straightened up, looking around the garage in confusion.

“D-Dad, what happened?” she demanded, horrified by the vomit now decorating the room. 

“Y-You and Nova were poisoned,” I informed her. Nova finally returned with the empty bottle, offering it out to me weakly. “Sweetheart, this is going to taste terrible but I need you to drink this,” I told her as I handed her the remaining antidote in exchange for the bottle. She grimaced, but downed it quickly, slamming the cup down on the counter like it had been a shot of tequila when she finished. “Beth, sweetie, where did you get this bottle?” I asked apprehensively, already pretty certain of her answer.

“I-I found it in the kitchen tucked behind a box of Eyeholes,” she told me as she eyed it nervously. 

“Y-You don’t remember buying it?” I pressed, watching Nova out of the corner of my eye as she started straightening up and color returned to her face. 

“N-No, I thought maybe Jerry had bought it or something. I-It was just a bottle of wine, I didn’t think too much of it,” she revealed. My eyes met Nova’s for a brief second before returning to Beth. 

“Beth, sweetie, are there any more bottles of surprise liquor out in the kitchen?” She shook her head slowly, her eyes flicking between Nova and I as they filled with tears.

“D-Did I do something wrong?” she asked tearfully.

“N-No sweetie, just do me a favor, if you find any more surprises in the kitchen, bring them to me first okay?” She nodded fervently before turning to Nova and offering an unending supply of apologies. “N-Nova, could you take Beth to the bathroom, get the two of you cleaned up a little bit?” She smiled and nodded at me, leading Beth out of the garage.

Man, I’m just the fucking best.

* * *

+Nova+

* * *

“Oh Nova, I’m so sorry,” Beth sobbed as I carried her into the bathroom. I helped her out of her clothes and into the shower where she continued to wail desperately.

“Beth, sweetie, I promise you, you didn’t do anything wrong,” I tried to console her.

“I should’ve known Jerry didn’t have an ounce of romanticism in him.”

“I-I wouldn’t say that,” I told her from the bathroom sink. I was doing my best to get the vomit out of my hair as she continued her rant.

“He’s never going to get a fucking job. I don’t know why I keep putting up with him, I tell myself it’s for the kids but Summer and Morty don’t respect him in the slightest. They both think he’s a fucking moron, and I mean, honestly, they’re absolutely correct,” she rambled furiously. The wine she’d had before the death bottle was still in full effect. The water shut off abruptly and the curtain ripped open. I grabbed her a towel, not bothering to cover my eyes from a sight I’d seen a thousand times before. “N-Nova, get in the shower,” she demanded, refusing the towel and grabbing my arm. “You’ve got vomit all over the back of your head.”

“N-No, it’s okay Beth, I promise I’ll get in la-”

“It’s not like it’s the first time we’ve showered together Nova,” she asserted flatly as she pulled my tank top off, tossing it to the floor. I conceded, not exactly interested in an angry naked Beth coming after me. I slid my shorts off, climbing in with her as she turned the water back on. I let her clean the vomit out of my hair, even taking care to also shampoo and condition as I stood awkwardly in front of her. When she reached for the soap however, I drew the line, shutting the water off quickly. I pulled the curtain open, climbing out to grab a towel for each of us. Realizing we had no clean clothes, I volunteered to venture into the house to acquire some.

However, I wasn’t expecting to find Rick leaned up against the wall waiting for me and his eyes bulged at the sight of me. 

“Wh-What are you guys- W-Wait, is B-Beth in there?” he demanded.

“Beth wanted to make sure I got cleaned up,” I told him, a note of irritation evident in my tone. “We used to shower together all the time when she was in veterinary school.” 

“Wh-Why?!”

“Saves water?” I shrugged, walking down the hall to the laundry room to dig through clothes. “We weren’t exactly interested in making bills any higher than they had to be.”

“God Nova, that’s just… that’s so weird,” he shuddered. I grabbed a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for Beth before heading to Jerry’s office to find clothes of my own. Rick followed behind, trying to make sense of the very close relationship his daughter and I shared. “S-So, you guys just get n-n-naked together, just like, casually? Like its no big deal?”

“Yeah, because it is no big deal,” I told him, rolling my eyes. “It’s never been sexual, like ever. Maybe get over your bodily hang-ups old man.”

“I don’t have bodily hang-ups!” he called after me as I re-entered the bathroom.

Beth and I dressed quickly and rinsed our mouths out with mouthwash. I was unsurprised to find Rick gone by the time we left the bathroom. I laid Beth down in her bed, tucking her in with a kiss on her forehead as she drifted off to sleep. I left her wastebasket next to her bed, hoping she wouldn’t need it before softly closing the door behind me. My stomach was still queasy from the poisoned wine, but I still marched myself back to Rick’s office to start the clean-up on his garage. Much to my surprise, as I opened the door a blue man was sweeping the last bit of vomit off the floor and right after he dropped it into the garbage can he completely evaporated from existence.

“What in the actual fuck was that?” I asked, utterly flabbergasted.

“Oh, that was a Mr. Meeseeks,” Rick told me dismissively, reading a long print out. “It looks like that wine was a parting gift from that evil Morty turd. The altherium would’ve dissolved if it had been in there for longer than a week.”

“But why would he want to poison Beth?”

“I-I don’t know Nova,” he answered, frustration apparent as he wouldn’t even look at me.

Realizing the true source of his frustration, I wormed up behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I peppered small kisses all over his back until he relented and turned around to face me. “You know, there’s nothing to worry about, right Rick? I’m yours, you-you know that right?” I asked soothingly. He didn’t answer, meeting my lips softly, his kiss deepening as his hands quickly found their way back under my shorts.

“I love you, Nova,” he told me, breaking away for a moment to stare down at me, only love in his eyes. “I n-never thought I would feel this way a-about anyone, but it just comes so easily when I’m with you. I-I-I’m not good with talking about my feelings, b-but-”

“I love you too, Rick Sanchez,” I assured him, smiling up at him before meeting his lips again. He picked me up easily, resting me on the counter. I melted into him instantly, allowing my arms to drape lazily over his shoulders as he pulled me in closer, deepening his kiss even further.

There are times when everything could seem so impossibly perfect and yet you’ve still managed to fuck them up, by truly no fault of your own. It had been hot all day, coupled with the smell of vomit permeating through the garage, so it wasn’t too far out of the realm of expectation for the garage shudder to be open. In fact, it hadn’t even registered on my radar, most of the time I spent in here was with it opened. But with our secretive albeit far more open affection for one another still new to us, I hadn’t even thought about anyone who might possibly walk by and find me making out with Rick.

“Nova? What in the fuck are you doing?”

Fucking Ryan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I need your help. I'm coming up to the Ryan v Nova and Rick and I am so conflicted about whether or not I want it to be Rick who saves her or if she's kills him herself. I kinda want it to be Nova, but I also like the idea of Rick doing it because he's so fucking protective of his Nova. So, if you have any thoughts I would greatly appreciate them. Next chapter might take a little bit longer to come to me, but I promise it will be out soon. I have an idea of what I want to do, but I'm just not sure which path I wanna take.
> 
> OH ONE MORE THING. You can find my Rick blog on tumblr, and if you're interested in sending requests you can send them to me on there. It's a side blog so I can't follow back unless its from my main (my 13RW fanfic account) but I just wanted to put that out there in case anyone was interested. 
> 
> arcane-supernova.tumblr.com


	11. Nothing Follows, Nothing Stays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> VIOLENCE WARNING;  
> This is part one of the Ryan debacle.  
> Nova goes home, it's not pretty as I'm sure you could guess.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crow this was hard, but I really hope you like it!

“Wh-What are you doing? Y-You fucking love him?” Ryan bellowed, dodging the guard lasers to pull Rick away from me. I recoiled in terror, babbling incoherently as he towered over me. Fortunately, Rick was quick on his feet as always, recovering quickly from his surprise and forcing his way in between Ryan and me.

“H-Hey, get away the fuck from her man,” Rick told him dangerously. Ryan twitched violently, his face struggling between unbridled rage and ruinous heartbreak. I could only cower on the workbench, burying my face in my knees as my only defense.

“Th-That’s my fucking wife you piece of shit!” Ryan roared, pushing Rick out of his way again to grab my wrist. Ryan’s shouting had attracted the rest of the Smith household, all four of them appearing in the doorway to watch my life fall apart.

“Your wife in fucking name only,” Rick shot back, pushing him away from me again. “You only want her as your wife so you can have an all-access pass human fucking punching bag.” 

Ryan didn’t respond, rearing back and delivering a sucker punch right to Rick’s stomach, knocking him to the floor to reach for me again, successfully pulling me off of the desk and dragging me out from the garage.

“H-Hey! Get your hands off of her!” Beth stepped in as Rick groaned on the floor, unable to recover as quickly this time. Ryan whirled around, an intense twitch contorting his face as he knocked Beth back onto the floor next to her father.

“Stay out of our lives you stupid bitch,” he hissed before pulling me back to our house as I fought against his grip.

“Ryan, you need to stop this,” I cried out weakly as he yanked the front door open, throwing me on the entryway floor. As soon as I started pushing myself up off the floor, Ryan grabbed my arm and dragged me into the living room.

“No (Y/N), you need to listen to me. You are my fucking wife, and you will respect me and everything I have fucking done for you.” He threw me into the couch and circled me, disgust and rage contorted his face now, the twitching had come to a stop. “I should’ve known with a stupid fucking whore like you, it wouldn’t take much to make loyalty waver. I just can’t believe you’d stoop so fucking low and start fucking your best friend’s father.”

“I want a divorce Ryan,” I told him with a force and determination that surprised both of us. Ryan snarled at me but I did my best to preserve that confidence and press further, “I don’t want to be your wife anymore. I don’t want anything to fucking do with you.”

“Well, that’s too fucking bad, because I’m not going to let you fuck me over just so you can go act out whatever fucked up daddy issues you have with that geriatric piece of shit. And if you think that you’re taking my daughter away from me…” he trailed off dangerously. 

“I’m not staying here another fucking night with you,” I cried, unable to maintain my poise. “I don’t love you.”

“You don’t have to love me, but you will fucking respect me.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but an assault on the front door interrupted us. “Nova! Nova, let me in,” Rick called from the other side.

“Tell your little fuck boy to leave, (Y/N). Tell him whatever you need to, but make him leave. You’re never to see him again, but I guarantee if you go with him, if you even take too long at the door, you will never see Madison again,” Ryan promised darkly, pointing to the door. I stood, my entire body shaking as I approached the door. Rick was peering through the stained glass, trying his hardest to make out what was happening. I watched as a wave of relief washed over him when I opened the door, wiping my tears away.

“I need you to leave Rick,” I told him before he could speak, trying my hardest to sound stern. “What we had was fun but-”

“Don’t give me that shit Nova,” he rolled his eyes, “Where the fuck is he?”

My eyes flicked to the hallway where I knew Ryan was waiting for me, listening to every word. “I need you to leave. I don’t know what I’ve been thinking these past few weeks, but I was wrong. I don’t love you. I don’t want you. If you’ve cared for me at all, you’ll just leave me the fuck alone. Leaving people is something you’re good at anyway, it should be easy for you.” It was a low blow, but it landed exactly how I intended.

He stared blankly at me for a moment before simply turning on his heel and walking away. I wanted to chase after him, to tell him I was sorry and that I didn’t mean it but I needed to end this myself, once and for all. Madi couldn’t grow up without her father and involving Rick would only end one way. I could only hope that one day, he would forgive me.

“Is he gone?” Ryan demanded as I rounded the corner. I nodded, trying to resist the urge to cry again. I traced the panic button again for the first time in months before a horrifying realization occurred to me.

He had a new body. I had no means to contact him. His receiver for my panic button was gone.

The tears started again, and I silently wept as Ryan continued his tirade. I only picked up on bits and pieces, more name-calling and more vague threats. I just had to make it until Madi got home. I just had to make it until I could make sure she was safe.

The first week back in my own home was horrifying. Through every verbal beatdown, through every backhand for perceived disrespect, I just continued reminding myself that the summer was almost over. Madison would be home from camp by the end of the month and I would finally put my foot down and tell Ryan I’d had enough. 

In the meantime, my cellphone had been confiscated, locks put on all of the electronic devices and Ryan even went the extra mile to put up surveillance cameras around the house to ensure he could have an eye on me at any given moment. He had isolated me completely but my heart only ached for Rick. No responses whenever I would press that button proved my theory. Either Rick wasn’t getting them, or in the most heartbreaking of circumstances, he just didn’t care anymore.

Most days I would wake up and make Ryan’s breakfast, before excusing myself to the shower where I would sit on the floor and weep to myself. I couldn’t believe I was back here, that I was back to living in terror every day. At least before I had the ignorance of thinking there was no escape but now I knew there was someone who cared about me even if he wasn’t the best at outwardly showing it. 

One tactic Ryan would employ to continue breaking down whatever self-confidence I had left was to insist Rick was just using me for a quick lay. If he truly cared about me, why wasn’t he here? Why wasn’t he breaking down that door if he loved me so much? And some nights, when I laid down next to a man who seemed only to exist to make my life a living hell, I would find myself believing it, even if only for a moment. 

One week before Madison was due to come home, I was starting dinner when I heard screaming coming from next door. It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary, Beth laid into her father almost daily for not getting me the hell out of there. The screaming matches usually never featured Rick’s voice, though I found myself craving the sound desperately. Instead, it was just Beth having what sounded like a one-sided argument with someone who just didn’t seem to care. This fight had been different, though this one had someone fighting back.

“You need to fucking leave, Jerry,” Beth shouted coldly. I resisted the urge to peek through the blinds, knowing if Ryan was watching he would rain down terror on me as soon as he got home.

“B-Beth, I’m sorry but maybe if your Dad hadn’t been sleeping with your best friend, someone who is old enough to be his freaking daughter, she wouldn’t be in this situation.” Jerry insisted desperately. His words stilled me to the core with wild thoughts of what Beth and Jerry knew about the brief tryst I’d shared with her father.

“Whatever was happening between two consenting adults is none of your fucking business Jerry. Just fucking leave, I can’t handle your stupid fucking face anymore.” 

_ Oh, Beth _ .

“You’re willingness to forgive everything your father does is going to ruin everything we’ve built together.”

“We’ve built?” I could hear the hysterical disbelief in her voice as she laughed, “Everything you have right now is because of me.”

“I-I’ve contributed!” Jerry protested but Beth offered no validation, slamming the front door behind her. I returned to my cooking, distracted now as I mourned for my friend, wishing I could offer any kind of consolation, anything to help her feel better.

* * *

+Rick+

* * *

Jesus fucking christ these fucking women. Beth screaming reverberated throughout the house, making it hard to focus on my work. I needed something to take my mind off of the broken face of the girl next door. I’m not fucking stupid, I knew that fucking dick had something over her head, but she pushed me away. I’m not going to chase someone who won’t fucking learn. I listened to him scream at her day in and day out, only telling myself it’s what she wanted, it’s what she told me to do.

It didn’t mean it didn’t feel like my soul was being ripped from my fucking body with every sound of broken glass or knocked over furniture.

Beth finding out about our affair was… awkward. She didn’t quite know how to process the information at first but Jerry had sent it into overdrive. He screamed for hours after Fuckwad dragged her out of my arms about how disgusting I was, how it was wrong for me to go after someone so vulnerable. I had no response for him, other than rolling my eyes and disappearing into my room.

My room still reeked of her, yet another opportunity for a searing pain through my gut. I found her bra tucked behind my bed and the wall and in an embarrassing moment of weakness I breathed in her scent off of the lacy fabric before chucking it aside, disgusted with myself. I sunk onto my bed defeated and stared at the wall for what felt like hours as the sun went down outside leaving me in the dark with only the cool blue light from my TV to show how far I had fallen. 

Being back in the dark with that dim blue lighting brought back intrusive echoes of her screaming my name and it was like I could still hear her panting as she rode out her climax. It was all too much. I stood up and fled desperately from the room, making a beeline for the garage, ignoring Morty and Summer’s calls as I passed. Morty gave up, but Summer followed me into the garage, unwilling to give up on her campaign.

“Grandpa, you’re going to go get Aunt Nova, right?” she demanded, her hand on her hip as she glared at me.

“Sh-She doesn’t want my help Summer, there’s nothing I can do,” I told her wearily. 

Next door was silent, Fuckwad’s tirade must be over for the night. I was tempted to portal over and abscond with her but during the scuffle with Ryan, the bastardized portal gun had been knocked off of the desk, shattering the glass that held the portal formula. I had another one in the works, but it just kept getting pushed back and when I needed it, I wasn’t ready.

“What are you talking about? You’ve taken on worse things than some abusive fucking narcissist,” Summer insisted, “We took on the fucking Gazorpian male, you can do this.”

“I-I don’t know how to get this through your thick fucking skull Summer. She. Doesn’t. Want. My. Help. She doesn’t want me.” I told her plainly, ignoring the hitch in my throat.

“Smartest man in the universe my fucking ass,” she muttered under her breath. “Aunt Nova is probably worried about Madi. He probably threatened her or something.”

“Wh-Wh-What makes you an expert on her all of a sudden?” I spat back at her, ignoring the possibility.

“Lifetime.”

“Get the fuck out, Summer,” I dismissed her, turning to my workbench to continue on my new portal gun.

“Look, I don’t know what she said to you, I don’t know how she might’ve hurt your minuscule feelings but I’ve been deliberately ignoring how she looks at you and how you look at her. How the two of you are constantly just a little too close to each other, like, all the time. Aunt Nova loves you and you love her,” she finished, proud of her conclusion.

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but we just f-fucked one time, i-i-it wasn’t anything serious.”

“Oh fuck off Grandpa,” she winced, “You’re worried about her. You can’t even say her fucking name. We have to get her back.”

“Summer th-this isn’t some crazy fucking adventure.” I quickly turned to face her as fury dripped from my voice. “This is a grown woman’s life and h-her choices are her own. Sh-She already told me she doesn’t lo-care about me.”

“She said she doesn’t love you?” Summer asked, the pity written all over her face.

“It doesn’t matter Summer,” I told her, reverting to my weary tone and going back to my gun. “Sh-She’s gone and if I try to go after her that fucking douchebag is just going to kill her.”

“Go over there when he isn’t home!”

“He just spent all day yesterday putting up cameras all over that house,” I reminded her, bored.

“So I’ll go over there. I’m like Switzerland right now.”

“If anyone goes over there and tries to see her, it doesn’t end well,” I sighed, “She’ll leave when she’s ready.”

“I can’t believe after everything Aunt Nova has done for this family you’re going to abandon her again!” Summer accused shrilly.

”I can’t be the reason anything else happens to her Summer,” I told her weakly, glad to be facing away from her as tears trickled down my cheek. “J-J-Just leave me the fuck alone Summer.”

I avoided her gaze, standing up and heading to my ship. I yanked the door open and climbed inside, leaving a confused but determined Summer behind.

* * *

The month passed by at a snail’s pace, and I never saw her come out of her house once. I started worrying, briefly, that he had already killed her. Thankfully, now and then I would see her in a window or if I was lucky to watch her as she cleaned the house. She never met my gaze, almost purposefully so. Summer was still constantly up my ass trying to get me to go over there but I couldn’t do it. I told myself I was leaving her alone as she asked, I knew I couldn’t take her rejection again. Deep down I knew she was lying, she had to be but the wound stung. 

When I finally did see her outside, Fuckwad was leading her to his car. She wore a large pair of dark sunglasses, a long dress, and a sweater. I was willing to bet that underneath all of those layers, her soft skin was littered with purples and blues. I stood at the edge of the garage but she never looked up, not once. She wobbled on the high heeled sandals she was wearing, her ankle sprained. I watched as they pulled out of the driveway and disappeared down the street, my fury turning everything around me red. 

I had to get her out of there. I couldn’t let this continue any fucking longer.

I paced the garage, trying to figure out the best possible way to execute a plan of attack. She was waiting for Madison to come home, that much was clear. After everything she told me about him, I knew there was no love for him left in her heart. This wasn’t for him, she was letting him do this because of Madi. Her daughter was her world. Beth knocked sharply on the garage door, letting herself in to observe my pacing.

“They went to get Madison,” she told me abruptly after a long silence. “Do you think Nova will come back when she can make sure she’s safe?”

“She’s not staying another night in that house, Beth. Either she leaves of her own volition or I will go over there and drag her out myself,” I assured her darkly, staring up at the house.

“Nova didn’t look good, he’s hurting her again and it’s worse than before,” Beth lamented. I nodded softly, not meeting my daughters piercing gaze. “Look, Dad, I heard what you told Summer awhile back. Did… Do you love her?”

I couldn’t answer right away. Talking about feelings at all was not my strong point but at this point, it didn’t even matter anymore. Everyone already knew. “Yeah,” I confirmed with a sigh, returning to check my new portal gun, desperate for any distraction.

“H-How long has this been going on?” Beth pressed nervously. “D-Did Mom-”

“Jesus Beth no!” I spat, turning to face her wearing a look of disgust, “Nothing started until I came back.”

“Did you actually sleep with her?”

“Do you really want the answer to that question?”

“Not really,” she conceded with a sigh. “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the idea. I always knew she idolized you, I mean, she got drunk one night and told me went into cosmetology because she loved watching you mixing chemicals. I guess I’m just more surprised with you.”

“S-Sweetie, I know your mom and I weren’t very romantic with each other. S-She was a brilliant lady but the only l-love we shared was a love of science. But this, this is different, it always has been,” I confessed. She shook her head in gentle disbelief, seeming to consider her words before she spoke.

“Did you have feelings for her before you left?” I knew she was just trying to make sense of things but her questioning was starting to get under my skin. 

“I mean, not like that? She was too young and immature for me back then, but I could see in her traits and qualities that I admired, sure.”

“Did you leave because of it?”

“J-Jesus fucking christ Beth,” I shouted in frustration. She was far smarter than I ever gave her credit for. “No, that’s not why I left.” 

A little white lie wouldn’t hurt her, right?

“I guess it just makes sense while simultaneously blowing my mind,” Beth shrugged, staring up at the house next door. “She was never quite the same after you left. She always tried to act like she was fine and she did an amazing job of it, but she never quite smiled the same. I didn’t see that smile again until you came back.”

I didn’t respond, but I stopped my pacing next to her and looked up at the house. “H-How did she end up with that prick anyway?”

She shrugged again, “He paid attention to her I guess. Made her feel validated and slowly started taking that validation away. The only thing Nova’s ever wanted was to feel loved and wanted. He gave her that, at first.”

“M-Mom, what’s for dinner?” Morty interrupted us. I kept my back to him, continuing to stare up at the shell of a home next door. There was no warmth when you looked at it, only cold calculation. Beth rested a hand on my shoulder for a moment before leading Morty back into the kitchen with talk of Hamburger Helper.

I waited for hours, fiddling with my portal gun even though it was in perfect working order. Beth brought my dinner into the garage and while I thanked her, all but a few bites were left to grow cold next to me. Instead, I started downing liquor, back to back shots left and right, trying to quell the nerves that were boiling within as I waited.

Finally, with a small amount of mercy, I heard their car pulling up next door. I had shut the lights off earlier in anticipation of their arrival to try my hardest to go unnoticed. I edged over to the dark corner of the garage to watch the family pour out of the overpriced sedan. She still wore the same outfit, but with her sunglasses removed, I could see the dingy color circling her eye paired with a deep gash through her brow.

_ Oh baby, no. _

With her sunglasses off, I caught her eye as she unpacked the trunk. She smiled the briefest of smiles, hiding it quickly when Ryan came around the back of the car. It wasn’t quick enough it seemed as he stared at her for a moment before he found me skulking in the garage. 

“Madison, take this inside,” he ordered, extending a small suitcase out to his daughter. She took it quickly, obviously wanting no part of her father’s ire. Once Madi disappeared into the house, he grabbed her arm tightly, twisting it behind her back, muttering softly into her ear as he glared over at me. I wanted to storm across the lawn and break his arm to start but she found my gaze again, shaking her head ever so slightly. I breathed deeply, taking another drink as I watched him shut the trunk lead her into the house.

And it went quiet, for a while. Lights flicked on and off as they prepared for bed and I pulled my chair out to watch intently. I knew he could see me, but at this point, I just didn’t care. I was taking her and Madison out of there if I had to kill him to do it. I waited until all the visible light went out, first the main light in Madison’s room, leaving only a string of Christmas lights to illuminate the window. Next was the living room, then the upstairs hallway and then their bedroom. I hesitated a moment, returning my chair to the garage and beginning to pace around again, trying to figure out the most opportune time to strike. I wanted to wait until I was sure he was asleep, as bad as I wanted him dead, she was the priority. Her and Madison. I waited an hour, staring at their bedroom window watching for any movement. 

Just as I poised to strike, Madison’s light flipped on before quickly turning back off. I raised my eyebrow as the hallway light flipped on after before the master bedroom turned on and an ear-piercing shriek rang out from the house. I froze for a moment, my brain telling my body to move but nothing happened. Madison, covered in blood, tore out from the house continuing her shrieking as she approached.

“He’s gonna kill her, Dad’s going to kill Mom, please Mr. Sanchez, please do something.” She hadn’t even finished her statement before I was bolting up to the front door, ripping it off its hinges as I entered the house. I took the stairs to the second floor two at a time, stunned at the stained red I found on the hallway carpet. I shook my head to straighten my head, shoving all of the worst possibilities out of my mind as tore down the hallway, kicking open the bedroom door to find a horrifying sight within. 

“Nova!” I cried out, deflecting a sneak attack from Ryan who had been perched behind the door. “Oh not right now you fucking pathetic waste of a man.” I picked him up, launching him into the dresser. She was on the floor, bleeding freely from a deep wound on her stomach, her face swollen and bloodied as well. 

How in the fuck had I not heard this?

“R-Rick,” she sputtered up at me, spraying my face with blood, “R-Rick, I-I’m so s-sorry. I-I didn’t mean it.” She was fading fast but Ryan was climbing back to his feet. He greeted me with a look of pure unbridled rage, growling as he launched at me again. I blocked him easily, sidestepping to send him barrelling into the wall. As he spun around to look at me viciously again, Beth appeared at the bedroom door, looking horrified at the sight within.

“Beth! Get her out of here. She’s bleeding pretty fucking bad,” I ordered. She obeyed immediately, putting Nova’s arm around her shoulders.

“She mine!” Ryan growled, turning his attack to Beth. I intercepted him, restraining him against the wall.

“Get her the fuck out of here!” I bellowed again. Beth led her away, leaving me to contend with the hulked out Ryan. “So I guess the dampener finally fully broke huh? That’s a damn shame,” I taunted him, “Should’ve stayed the way you were, you would’ve lived longer.”

“You take wife! You die!” he bellowed, using his rage to break out my hold on him.

“I-I thought I told you this already you walking fucking imbecile, she’s not yours, not anymore,” I taunted him, easily stepping out the way of his attempt to barrel into me. I couldn’t take him in a fistfight right now, and pulling out my gun would leave me vulnerable, even for a second. I was just going to have to tire the brute out.

“She MY wife! She no love you!” He bellowed, running at me again.

“See, that’s kind of funny, considering how many times she screamed it as I buried my cock into her,” I sneered at him. His face somehow turned even redder with rage as he ran at me again, this time swinging his arms wildly in an attempt to grab onto my lab coat.

“You dead man!” 

“I-I’m thinking not there pal. See, when I’m done here I’m going to go back to my house-” I swerved out of his reach for another attack, “-and I’m going to lay her down and eat the fuck out of her pussy-” I dodged him again, jumping on the bed to send him flying into her bedside table, “-I bet you’ve never even tasted how sweet she tastes when she’s just come all over your hand- or well, my hand.”

“I kill you, science man. You never touch (Y/N) again.” He roared. Realizing his running attack wasn’t working the way he wanted he relented, opting instead to start throwing broken furniture across the room.

Ducking the projectiles, I continued my taunting, “And the way she feels when she slides onto your- oop, sorry again, my cock, god she just has the best fucking pussy? When was the last time you got to slide right in there and watch her just fucking enjoy how it felt having you inside of her? Never?”

“Stop talk about (Y/N). I kill you now.”

He lunged at me again, this time brandishing a bloodied leg from the broken chair in the corner. It caught my shoulder, pulling me along for the ride as we collided into the wall. Realizing one of his attacks had finally landed, he let out a victory roar as he grabbed my coat, flinging me into the headboard. I felt the slats underneath break underneath me as the bed bowed inward.

“Y-You know what the best part is, you bumbling fucking moron? N-Not the sex, not the way she made me come. I-I could’ve lived rest of my life without having that, e-even though it’s a great benefit,” I grunted, grinning maliciously at him as I pulled myself up from the broken bed, “N-No, the best part was that she wanted to be there with me, every fucking smile, every fucking laugh was far more genuine than you could’ve ever produced from her. But you never cared about that part of her though, did you? You just wanted a fucking house slave to beat whenever you stubbed your fucking toe.”

“I do love my (Y/N)!” he bellowed back, his anger only proving my point, “She mine Rick, if I can’t have her, neither will you. I made sure of that! She dead now!”

“O-Oho buddy, Beth’s taking care of her right fucking now. My Nova will walk away from this, with me.”

Ryan’s chest heaved quickly, almost like he was trying desperately to catch his breath. He tried to lunge at me again but only fell to his knees, clutching his chest desperately. I was caught off guard, watching the man in front of me cough desperately as his legs became stiff and he tumbled gracelessly to the floor. Was this motherfucker really having a fucking heart attack right now? After all those dramatics and stunted speech? I stood over him, watching him gasp for air, a grin spreading quickly over my face.

“I’m gonna watch you take your last breath you, piece of fucking shit. Who’s the geriatric old fuck now?”

I watched as he convulsed on the floor and spouted out incoherent nonsense, mostly regarding Nova, some insulting me. I enjoyed every last torturous moment of his pathetic existence. Laid out on his back, vomiting would ultimately be his downfall as it lodged in his throat. He sputtered, unable to roll onto his side and clear his airway. When the light finally left his eyes and the color was drained from his face, I turned on my heel not even sparing a parting glance as I walked back through the house. The blood in the hallway quickened my pace and by the time I made it to the door, I sprinted across the yard and into the house. 

Beth had Nova laid out on the dining room table, desperately applying pressure to her open wound. Morty and Summer had taken Madi into the living room, fruitlessly trying to comfort the poor girl as she wailed in between them. At least they had been able to get here out of her bloodied clothes. She spotted me in an instant and rushed over to me desperately, stopping short of running into me as she looked up at me with pleading red eyes.

“I-Is he d-d-dead?” she stammered through her sobbing. I nodded curtly, focusing on Beth tending to Nova. The bleeding had mostly stopped, but Nova was still unresponsive. I started to move closer when a pair of arms wrapped around my midsection, squeezing tightly. “Th-Thank you,” she murmured. I patted her back awkwardly before gently pushing her away to finally make it Nova’s side. Her t-shirt had been ripped through the middle, leading to the gory wound on her stomach. My chest ached at the sight, only able to stare at her in shock.

“Oh, Dad, thank god,” Beth cried, finally noticing my presence, “She’s stable but she won’t wake up and I don’t know if I got all of the shards out of her and I don’t know what to do- D-Do we take her to the hospital?” 

“B-Beth, I’ll take it from here,” I assured her, regaining control over my limbs to scoop Nova off of the table and carry her into the garage. 

I grabbed my portal gun from the table and opened one to the same hospital we had to take Jerry to when he got into my Cherry Garcia, Beth and the kids following behind me. We were greeted by a tall slender nurse who quickly took Nova from my arms, resting her on a gurney as he carted her away. I gave him a brief rundown of the situation, that she was human, she’s been attacked and there might be shrapnel from the attack still lodged inside of her. I was sent back out into the waiting room to let the doctors help her.

“What happened with Ryan?” Beth asked sharply as soon as I plopped into the uncomfortable chair. I sighed, feeling more exhausted than I had in years as I leaned back in the chair.

“He’s dead,” I shrugged, turning to watch the interdimensional cable, honestly surprised to find it still here.

“H-How did he die? Did you kill him?” Summer needled quickly, a frankly evil look in her eyes. I looked over at Madi who was currently resting against her and stared at her for a moment before returning Summer and shaking my head at her tactlessness.

“Not here Summer, not in front of Madi.”

“I-I wanna know. He’s my dad, I’m gonna find out eventually,” Madi insisted morosely.

“H-He had a fucking heart attack. I guess he was so angry, his heart couldn’t take it and just gave out,” I told him, staring back up at the screen.

Beth snorted, “That’s fitting.”

“Yea, I thought so too.”

Silence fell over the five of us as we waited for news on Nova, absently watching the TV. I knew she would be fine, she had to be, but as doctors and nurses appeared out of the swinging doors and went to everyone but us, my nerves went into overdrive. I wanted to just sleep to pass the time, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw Nova lying there on the floor broken and beaten within an inch of her life. How the fuck had I not heard her screaming? I had to listen to every other fucking fight the two had but the one that mattered, the one that almost cost her her life slipped under my radar? She hadn’t even tried to contact me, didn’t even try to use her panic button as she called it to tell me she needed help.

The same doctor who had treated Jerry approached us, breaking me away from my thoughts has he regarded his chart, “Are you guys here with, ah, Nova?” he asked calmly. 

“Yes! Yes, that’s us! Is she okay? How is she?” Beth leaped from her seat, nodding frantically. 

He didn’t respond, instead, he led us down a long corridor to a small room where Nova rested comfortably, looking worse for wear as she smiled up at us. Still, I was grateful that she looked lightyears better than when I had last seen her. Her face was still swollen, small cuts deemed too unimportant to heal immediately still littered her face but the larger injuries were all but gone. Madi rushed to her side, weeping into her mother as Nova gently patted her back soothingly.

“Nova is going to fine, Mrs. Smith,” the doctor assured Beth serenely, “We were able to remove all of the wood from her wounds and heal her most threatening wounds. She’ll be sore for the next couple days but she will heal completely.”

“Thank you, Doctor, thank you so much,” Beth gushed. He nodded his head wisely before leaving the room. Beth turned back to Nova, surveying her from head to toe, “Nova, how are you feeling? What happened?”

“Jeez Mom, calm the hell down,” Summer chastised her sharply before turning back to her aunt, “Aunt Nova, I’m so glad you’re alright.” Madi moved away to allow Summer the chance to hug her tightly, wiping away tears as she pulled away.

“I’m okay you guys, the man with the oddly shaped head said I’ll be able to leave whenever I’m ready,” Nova assured Beth, looking up at her best friend. Beth moved in to hug her next, holding her tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder.

“I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you, Nova,” she cried as Nova rubbed her back soothingly. “He’s gone Nova, he’s dead,” Beth told her seriously, pulling away to look her in the eyes.

“What happened?” Nova asked quietly, finally looking up at me.

“His heart gave out,” I shrugged, “I didn’t even have to lay a finger on him. It was pretty anti-climatic really.”

She was quiet a moment, digesting my words before turning her gaze on Madi. “I’m so sorry sweetheart,” she consoled her daughter softly. Madi’s face hardened at her mother’s apology and she stood up quickly from the bed.

“I’m glad he’s dead Mom.”

“Y-You don’t mean that,” Nova insisted, pulling the blanket off of her lap to move closer to her.

“I do mean that. Dad was a monster a-and after what he did to you? He deserved to die,” Madi told her mother coldly. Nova was silent, slumping back onto the bed in defeat.

“N-Nova, sweetie, what happened?” Beth asked again, caution in her voice as her eyes flicked to Summer.

“I-I don’t want to talk about, not here,” she sighed, standing up and gathering her belongs, “When we get home, I promise I’ll explain.” Beth conceded, shooing the kids from the room so Nova could change.

“D-Do you need help?” I asked softly when the door finally shut behind Beth. Nova shook her head sharply, turning her back to me as she pulled on her blood-soaked sweats under the long hospital gown. “Y-You don’t have to wear those, I can get you something else,” I insisted.

“No Rick, don’t worry about it,” she muttered, pulling them over her hips before grabbing her shirt.

“Come on Nova, let me get you something else, let me help you,” I insisted, reaching over to grab the shirt out of her hands.

“Oh, now you want to fucking help?” she hissed, turning around to finally face me.

“Y-Yes?” I sputtered, flabbergasted.

“That’s pretty fucking funny, could’ve used it a lot fucking sooner.” she hissed, ripping the shirt back out of my hand and pulling it over her head defiantly.

“N-Nova, you told me to leave you alone. You told me you didn’t want me anymore. I didn’t know what to do. B-Beth thought you were just waiting for Madi to come home-”

“N-No! I mean just a couple of fucking hours ago when my husband almost fucking killed me.”

“Wh-What? I was there as soon as I could be- as soon as I heard anything,” I insisted.

“The moment we walked in the door, it was over. He was out for my fucking blood.” Her tone cut me to the bone, I let her down. I fucking let her down when she needed it most.

“I-I didn’t hear anything Nova, I’m sorry,” I apologized, completely defeated. “Y-You didn’t use your panic button- I was going to get you out of there tonight, I-I didn’t know.”

“I did use my fucking panic button,” she told me venomously, “but I guess it doesn’t fucking work when the body housing its receiver is floating through the vacuum of fucking space.”

God. Fucking. Dammit.

“I didn’t- I didn’t even think about that.” I confessed hopelessly, “I just thought- I mean I heard you guys fighting but I thought if he was hurting you-”

“I used that fucking panic button every fucking night.”

“I’m sorry Nova, I’m so fucking sorry. I let you down.”

“I thought you gave up on me. I know what I said to you was cruel but I thought you would be smart enough to see right through it. Guess you let your ego get in the way.” 

“Baby, I’m sorry,” I cried softly. Her hard gaze was replaced by a gentle one as she moved closer to me. “I never gave up on you, I just- I thought you had a plan, that you were just waiting for Madison- I just let myself believe what you said so I wouldn’t beat down the door and potentially put her at risk.”

“I was waiting for Madi. You were at least right about that,” she conceded. Sighing, she pulled the shirt back off, allowing me a view of the long wound down her stomach, “I can’t wear this shit, can you find me something else?”

“Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the fight from Nova's POV. Thank you so much for reading this far, it really means so much and I really hope it lives up to expectations.
> 
> Also, I have a spotify playlist with all the songs I've used as chapter titles, if you wanna check that out you can, but don't feel obligated or anything. It was just an easy way for me to keep track. ^^
> 
> Also, I absolutely used the Titan Henchman from Batman: Arkham Asylum as inspiration for Ryan's speech patterns and stuff, and his method of attack. I am just simply not that original. Hahaha.


	12. Exit Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The night of Ryan's death from Nova's perspective. There is heavy violence and extremely abusive language within. Please continue with caution.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was so fucking hard to write. It broke my heart to put myself in the fucking shoes of Ryan and say such horrifying things about my bb.  
> Sorry for the delay ♥

* * *

+Nova+

_ The previous night _

* * *

The car ride to get Madison was the kind of terse silence that should be used to torture information out of violent offenders. I was ‘lucky’ to even be brought along on the trip but rumors that I had become a recluse was tarnishing Ryan’s reputation earned me my first painful steps out of the house.

“You have one hour. I want you looking put together and refined,” he demanded sharply. I had been in the kitchen, scrubbing the counters down as per his request when he stormed in angrily. “People think you’ve become some fucked up hermit after losing your job. I’m going to see to it that you put an end to it.” I nodded obediently, dropping what minuscule crumbs that had been on the counter in the trash and hurried upstairs.

I was in and out of the shower in a flash, sitting down at my vanity to dry and style my hair. I avoided meeting my own eyes in the mirror, unable to bear the sight of the large bruise that circled my eye, courtesy of a misinterpreted offhand comment. I brought my hair into a high braided bun, simple enough but also didn’t allow any extra leverage if Ryan decided I had done something to upset him. I started on makeup, struggling to make any real change to the dark circle. I went over to my closet, retrieving a long halter sundress and a light cardigan to cover the hand-shaped bruises that covered my arms and legs. I posed in the mirror meekly, surveying myself carefully. The dark around my eye still drew the most attention so I dug around for a little while, finally extracting a pair of large sunglasses from an old purse. Their tint was dark enough to mask the bruising while the frame large enough to cover it. 

I returned to the vanity to touch up my lipstick but I found myself staring out into space as anxiety seeped into my resolve. I was terrified of having to confront him, all these bruises, my busted lip; they had all been for this night. Once Madison got home, I was going to wait until Ryan went to sleep for the night and finally make my escape. The plan was to go straight to Beth’s house. If Ryan showed up, the cops could be called or if worse came to worst, Rick would just kill him. It was tempting but the thought of Madison growing up without a father who loved her reminded me too much of how I grew up. I couldn’t let that happen to her too.

I couldn’t let her end up like me.

“What in the fuck are you doing? We’re going to be late!” Ryan swore as he flung the bedroom door open, glaring down as he surveyed my outfit carefully. “I guess this will have to do, put on those sunglasses. We’ve got to fucking go.” 

I grabbed the closest pair of shoes, unfortunately not my trusty running shoes, but a pair of high heeled wedges. Ryan grew frustrated quickly as he watched me wobble across the carpeted floor, grabbing my wrist to pull me behind him. I managed the first few steps but stumbled despite my best efforts, colliding into the wall as a sharp pain shot through both my ankle and my brow line. Ryan groaned in frustration as blood trickled down the curve of my nose.

“You have got to be fucking kidding.” 

He released my wrist with enough force to send it in to the wall as well. The old wound ached at the impact as tears streamed down my face. I limped into the bathroom, gingerly inspecting the damage in the mirror. A large gash now split my brow as blood continued pouring out. Wetting a washcloth, I pressed it to my forehead as I searched for the liquid bandaid I kept for things just like this.

“(Y/N), stop fucking around, let’s fucking go,” Ryan bellowed, walking into the bathroom. He watched my methodical application of what was essentially glue, a small smirk forming over his face at every wince of pain. Was he enjoying this? Was watching me suffer this much of a thrill to him? I returned my sunglasses to my face, relieved when they covered most of my brow line to conceal the wound, pulling my bangs back down to cover the rest. I popped a couple of painkillers to try to mitigate the pain still shooting through my ankle. 

“I’m ready,” I announced timidly. I walked carefully, trying to ignore the shooting pain I felt with every step. When I was outside, I didn’t dare look anywhere near the Smith household. I couldn’t see Rick right now. I wouldn’t be able to resist the urge to throw myself into his arms again, to feel that overwhelming sense of protection I hadn’t even noticed until it was ripped away from me. I could feel his eyes on me but with Ryan putting on the show of dutiful husband, I couldn’t chance it.

The drive was long, only the dulcet tones of the talk radio he enjoyed so fervently. A man droned on and on about stocks and their rising and falling but I found my usual comfort in staring out the window. If I closed my eyes for a moment, I could tell myself this was Rick’s ship. I could pretend, even for that short moment, that it was Rick next to me just taking me out on another adventure. The illusion would inevitably be shattered by the mind-numbing voice on the radio, a poor replacement for the low music always playing in Rick's ship.

“When we get home, you may mend your ankle but for the time being you are to act as though nothing is wrong,” he told me as he swerved in and around traffic. “We will be stopping for dinner on the way home, I won’t have time to wait for you to make it yourself.”

“I-I’m sorry-”

“Quiet. I am in no mood to listen to your voice.”

* * *

Picking up Madison went as smoothly as I could’ve hoped. The pain killers had their intended effect, numbing the pain enough for me walk smoothly in the high heels. I was able to keep my sunglasses on, never going inside or anywhere else that would have warranted their removal. We made small talk with the other parents and Ryan even told jokes. Everything a normal and happy couple would do; Ryan’s mission seemed to be completed, at least for today. The other parents seemed overjoyed to see me, assuring me of how happy they were as a couple of the husbands nudged him with remarks of how they were glad we hadn’t killed each other yet.

When we finally climbed back into the car, Madison shoved her earbuds into her ears, blasting music to drown out the world around her. Ryan glared into the rearview mirror but said nothing to her, instead, berating me in a low voice for allowing this kind of behavior at all. He begrudgingly stopped at the closest fast-food chain that was still open this late; ordering for the car in the drive-thru before parking the car and divvying out the food. I was given a salad and muttered comments about my weight, my cheeks burning red. It tasted like ash in my mouth but I swallowed every bite knowing there would be repercussions if I left a single leaf to waste.

I was relieved when our exit finally appeared, knowing the car ride from hell was almost over. This life from hell was almost over. It was dark now, my sunglasses now being used for me to fiddle with anxiously. I straightened up in my seat, earning me a reproachful look from Ryan as he looked me over suspiciously. I slunk back into the seat at his piercing gaze and returned to the window, praying silently that this nightmare would truly be over soon. 

I dared a glance at the Smith house as we pulled into the driveway, surprised to find the garage dark with the shutter still wide open. As Ryan delegated tasks to me, I dared a glance over to the garage, spotting a familiar blue glistening in the moonlight. I offered the most minute of smiles at the garage but the feeling of protection allowed to smile to linger allowing Ryan to quickly put two and two together.

“Madison, take this inside,” he ordered, handing her suitcase to her. He watched her disappear inside, before gripping my arm tightly.

“Don’t fucking think I didn’t fucking see that,” Ryan muttered as he twisted my arm behind my back. “Get in the fucking house.”

Obediently, I grabbed as many of Madison’s belongings as I could and carried them into the house without a second glance to Rick. Tonight was only going to work if I was careful. If I wanted to get out of this house with Madison and me intact, I had to focus on the task at hand, not Rick. I carried Madi’s bags up to her room, stopping to kick my wedges off by the door. My ankle cried out in anguish as I made my way up the stairs to her room, the painkillers finally wearing off. I knocked gently before pushing her door open to find her sitting on the side of her bed scrolling through her social media accounts and catching up with her friends.

“Sweetheart, why don’t you come downstairs?” I asked, sitting the bags down by the bed and holding my hand out to her. If she was distracted, she wouldn’t unpack. If she didn’t unpack, she would be ready to go as soon as possible.

“No, that’s okay Mom,” she replied, not even looking up from her phone, “Dad seems like he’s in another mood. I’ll just hang out up here.”

“I’ve missed you, sweetheart.” 

My eyes welled with tears as I played with hair, twirling it around my fingers. Her brown hair was longer, almost reaching the small of her back. The sun had done well to lighten it a few shades in exchange for deepening her tan over the summer. She looked older and her general demeanor had seemed to mature as well.

“I missed you too, Mom,” she groaned, detaching from her phone long enough to smile up at me before immediately returning to it.

“I guess I’ll just leave you to your phone,” I teased. Kissing her head softly, she groaned at me loudly again before I finally took pity on her and left the room, leaving her to her friends to catch up. I stopped quickly in my bedroom, changing out of my long dress and into a tank top and sweats before taking a deep breath, steadying myself before heading back down the stairs.

“What were you and Madison talking about?” Ryan demanded, stepping out of the living room with a furious glare plastered on his face as my foot came in contact with the bottom step.

“N-Nothing Ryan,” I blurted out, stumbling back in surprise, “I just told her I missed her and asked if she wanted to come downstairs and spend time with us.”

“Mhm.” He watched my face carefully as I slipped around him into the living room, trying to find any inkling of a lie. “You really think I don’t know what you’re up to?”

“U-Up to? I’m not up to anything!” I lied, proving only to make him angrier.

“You’re going to take Madi and try to run away tonight, aren’t you?” he accused as he followed me, hysterics beginning to leak into his voice. “You are not taking my daughter anywhere and I will be damned if I let you go running back to your senior special.”

“R-Ryan, I am h-here. With you. Not Rick-”

“Don’t say his fucking name,” he spat. “You sound fucking pathetic.”

“Ryan, it was nothing. What happened between him and me, it meant nothing-”

“Shut your fucking mouth (Y/N). I don’t need you fucking insulting me. I’m not fucking stupid, at least not completely. I don’t know what’s been wrong with me this past fucking summer but that shit is over with. You are my fucking wife until death does us part. Don’t fucking make me speed up that process.”

“Ryan-”

“I fucking said shut up,” he bellowed, using the back of his hand to throw me into the couch. “Don’t you fucking start crying either. Don’t start fucking screaming. If anyone shows up here, I don’t care if it’s a fucking Mormon missionary going door to door, you’re going to fucking regret it. But don’t worry, you won’t die. Although, I'm not sure what the life expectancy is for a mother who lost a child violently.” He paused, eyeing me maliciously as the true threat of his words sunk in. “You’re out of control (Y/N) and I will do whatever it takes to put a stop to it and restore order to this house.”

I didn’t speak, but I couldn’t stop the silent tears that streaked down my cheeks. He had gone too far threatening Madison. I brought my hand to the stinging on my face and it seemed that even silent, the emotion still offended him. He grabbed my shoulders, shaking me violently as veins bulged in his forehead.

“I fucking told you not to cry.”

His shaking was getting harder yet, my head flinging forward and back sharply. I knew if I didn’t start fighting back soon, he wouldn’t stop until he snapped my neck. I brought my arms up between his to push his hands away from me, managing to take him by surprise and break out of his grip. I slid out of his reach, crawling away as he recovered. He caught up quickly, grabbing my ankle and pulling me back to him on my stomach. He flipped me over, doling punishment out by colliding his knuckles into my cheek violently as I tried to squirm away. On my back, I was able to deliver a swift kick to his groin, dodging out of the way of his onslaught. I pushed myself off the floor as he doubled over gasping for air. In a last-ditch attempt to buy myself some time as I fled the living room, I quickly flipped the light switch, plunging the room into darkness.

I headed to the kitchen, desperate for any kind of weapon to defend myself with. I could hear him groaning behind me so I flicked the light off behind me, trying to silently root for any sharp object to keep him at bay. 

“Where are you, you stupid bitch?” he growled into the darkness. I sunk against the counter, trying to keep out of sight as he searched for the light switch. Light poured around me as I pressed myself against the counter, listening for his footsteps to edge toward my location. I tried desperately to press the panic button Rick had implanted in my hand what felt like ages ago. I never stopped trying to use it even though I knew it was in vain. A small part of me hoped that he could repair his, that he would realize I needed his help but it all seemed so hopeless. Deep down I was sure he had taken my words to heart. He had given up on me.

“If you stop this stupid shit, I promise I’ll make it fucking quick.” His footsteps turned around the kitchen island I hid behind, breaking me from my feelings of hopelessness as I continued inching around the island, trying to get around it before he could find me.

“I never understood why they called you Nova, you know? You, a star? That’s fucking comical,” he taunted, trying to lure me out. “The most you are is a fucking black hole.”

My ankle spasmed under my weight as I turned the corner and my position was blown when I face-planted onto the floor. He chuckled darkly as he rounded the island, glaring down at me.

“The reason they call me Nova wasn’t because of fucking stars you idiot,” I hissed, pulling myself off the floor with the knife extended in front of me. “If you’d ever paid a fucking iota of attention you’d know it was from fucking Planet of the fucking Apes. There was a charact-”

“You really must be a fucking moron if you think I actually give a fuck.” He shook his head in disbelief before launching himself at me. The impact forced me back into the wall, my head coming in contact with the wall and everything going dark.

* * *

 “I’ve spent way too long fantasizing about this.”

My eyes blinked, quickly adjusting to the inky darkness of my bedroom. My back rested against the foot of my bed as Ryan stood over me, sneering as I returned to consciousness. I tried to stand, only earning another backhand for my insolence. The small chair from my vanity became the next subject of his rage as he picked it up and broke one of the legs off. He inspected the sharpest end before turning to face me again.

“My parents told me women with bad childhoods were guaranteed whores, but you always seemed so fucking genuine. Somehow, my stupid ass fell in love with you and God only knows why I went and had a baby with you.”

“You’ve never loved anything in your life,” I hissed weakly.

“You’re probably right, it always kind of seemed like a waste of my fucking time,” he nodded, “but there I was, getting married to a girl with every red flag my parents warned me about. Mommy didn’t love you? Check. Daddy maybe loved you too much? Check. Abandoned by most of the adults she came in contact with? Fucking home run.”

“You’re fucking wrong.”

“Oh come the fuck off of it (Y/N),” he glowered, “The only reason I wanted you was because I already knew you could be beaten into submission if that’s what it took. You’d spent your entire life that way, you wouldn’t even know the fucking difference.”

“Fuck you.”

“I could make time for that if you wanted.” He offered darkly, his eyes glittering with malice before rolling at my cowered form. “It wouldn’t be worth it, you’d only be thinking of Colonel Blimp next door.”

“What are you going to tell Madison?” I asked desperate to change the subject. “How are you going to explain to her that you killed her mother? She’s not going to just forgive you. She's smarter than you've ever given her credit for.”

“I don’t give a fuck about that stupid brat,” he scoffed with another roll of his eyes. “She’s too fucking much like you.”

I couldn’t muster a reply. My blood ran cold as my heart raced with fury. He watched my face, seeming to relish in the fear of my revelation. He truly did not want me to have anything. My daughter, my friends, they were all allowed purely because they could be taken away.

“Why me?” I uttered finally, tears brimming in my eyes as I watched him twirl the broken chair leg around in his hand.

“You were pathetic. I took you home and fucked you on the first date.” He shrugged smugly. “I knew your kind, I knew the words that it would take to get what I wanted from you.”

I closed my eyes for a moment, taking a calming breath before pushing myself off of the floor to look at the man who had made my life a living hell in the eyes. I groaned as I put pressure on my ankle only to stumble back onto the bed. Ryan laughed at the sight, his chuckling continuing as I awkwardly pushed myself back up, swaying as I stared up at him.

“Like I said, you abusive piece of shit, you don’t fucking know me at all.”

My words set him off and he pushed me back into the bed, my head ricocheting off the headboard with a loud yelp. I stood back up, my head spinning from the impact as I tried to catch my balance again. Being disoriented made it easy for Ryan to overpower me again, forcing me back onto the floor and holding the chair leg to my stomach.

“When are you going to fucking learn (Y/N)? You’re fucking nothing,” he declared smugly, pushing the improvised weapon into my stomach. I cried out as it broke my skin, pain searing out from the wound through my entire body. My body screamed at me to fight against him but with every minuscule movement, he drove the spike in deeper.

“Rick-” I cried out weakly, my voice raw with pain.

“He won’t save you, (Y/N). Why would he want to? He left you once before and it seems it was easy for him to do it again. Where is your savior (Y/N)? Why isn't he here to save you if he loved you so much?”

A light appeared under the doorway, calling my attention to it quickly. The door burst open quickly, relief coursing through my body. Ryan was wrong. He had come to save me.

“M-Mom?” Madi stepped in nervously, stepping in the pool of blood that had formed next to me. “D-Dad, what are you doing? Stop hurting her!”

“You should’ve stayed in bed Madison,” Ryan hissed, driving the spike into my gut completely, leaving me to scream out in pain. 

I clawed desperately at the wood now buried in my gut as Ryan chased Madi out of the room, trailing my blood behind him. He returned mere seconds later, a crazed look forming over his face as he lumbered back over to me, picking me up by the straps of my tank top. He drew back, bringing his fist down to crash into my cheek repeatedly. I wanted to fight back, to do anything to stop his assault but my arms only hung loosely by my sides as broken English began pouring out of his mouth. The ringing in my ears prevented me from understanding a word he was saying and my eyes were swelling shut so when he abruptly stopped, I simply assumed I was dead. 

“Nova!” A  gruff voice cut desperately through the ringing and I swore I saw the blue hair that reminded me of home as I finally allowed myself to slip into darkness.

* * *

_ That man sure has an oddly shaped head. _

“She’s going to need to be put under, we have to open this wound further to get the shards of wood out.”

_ I wonder if his brain is the same shape as his head, he must be really smart. _

“Sh-She was attacked, I-I think she was stabbed with a wooden spike.”

_ He sounds like Rick. I miss him so much, where is he? Where is Rick? He said he would save me. _

“Sir, I promise you, we will help her. You just have to allow us the space to do so.”

“H-Her name is Nova. P-Please, don’t let anything happen to her. I can’t- I can’t lose her.”

_ Rick? _

* * *

_ The world around me was dense, lush forest surrounded us as Rick and I sat hand in hand as we watched the waterfall in the distance cascade into the small river beneath it. I dared to glance over to him, receiving a playful smile as he averted his gaze. I giggled, turning my own gaze away, I peeked over again only to find Ryan in his stead, leering down at me viciously. My blood ran cold as I saw Rick’s mangled body beside him, contorted into an unnatural form as he stretched his arm out to me desperately before Ryan finished him off. With one last crushing blow from his boot, Ryan extinguished any form of life in Rick’s eyes, something he assured me of by bringing the optical gore mere inches away from my face. I cringed, looking down to avoid the view only to find the chair leg wedged into my gut once more. I looked up again desperately, only to find myself completely alone save for the gurgling corpse a couple of feet away. _

_ “He’ll never be able to protect you from me (Y/N). You can run as far away as you want but I will always find you.” _

* * *

 “Nova? Is that your name?” a gentle voice asked. I blinked as I awoke, wincing from the blaring light filling the room. I slammed my eyes shut again as the voice asked his question again and the bed lowered next to me as he sat down. 

“N-Nova,” I rasped, trying to nod in confirmation. My neck was stiff, making any movement impossible. “Wh-Where am I?”

“You’re in an alien hospital. Well, it’s alien to you, to me it’s just a hospital,” he informed me genially. I tried to open my eyes again, squinting to find the same oddly shaped head I’d seen in my dream.

“H-How’d I get here?”

“Your family brought you in. You had a deep wound to your torso.” My eyes widened as I brought my hands to my stomach, surprised to find none of the pain it provided previously. Instead, a low ache reverberated throughout, far more manageable than the searing pain from before.

“Wh-What happened to me? My husband- Ryan, he-he…” I fumbled my words, tears stinging my eyes at the memory.

“We were able to repair the damage done by the wooden spear he lodged into you,” the doctor informed me, “You’ll be back to normal in no time my dear, just have to wait for the stitches to heal away. They’re medicated with a serum that hastens the healing process. It should only take about a week until you’re back to normal, physically speaking.”

“M-My family, where is my daughter?” I asked tearfully, taking time to survey the room, expecting them to pop out at any moment.

“She’s out in the waiting room with the rest of your family and when you’re ready, we can send them back. We should also be able to discharge you soon, as long as you’re feeling up to it.” I nodded eagerly, sitting up a little to be more presentable. He smiled wisely, saying nothing more as he left the room presumably to go find my family. I continued straightening myself up, taking a moment to peek under the hospital gown to get a look at the long scar now gracing my body. 

“Mom!” Madison cried out as she entered the room, rushing to my side a tearful mess. I held her tightly, patting her back soothingly as she wept and muttered apologies into my hair, “Mom, I’m sorry. I should’ve done something sooner, I should’ve tried to stop him, I was just so scared. I’m so sorry.”

“Baby, there’s nothing you could’ve done. You did the right thing, getting out of there and going to Beth’s. I’m so proud of you.” I left a watery kiss on her hairline, as Beth finished talking to the doctor, turning to survey me.

“Nova, how are you feeling? What happened?” she asked urgently, finally tearing her gaze away from the pulp I called a face.

“Jeez Mom, calm the hell down,” Summer chastised her before I could answer. She met my gaze with a watery one of her own, “Aunt Nova, I’m so glad you’re alright.” Madison left my side briefly, allowing her surrogate sister to hug me tightly. As Summer pulled away wiping away her tears, my eyes fell to Beth again, decidedly ignoring the lanky man who’d been watching me intently with a look of painful regret.

“I’m okay you guys,” I assured Beth, “The man with the oddly shaped head said I’ll be able to leave whenever I’m ready.” She forced herself into my arms, sobbing into my shoulder. 

“I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you, Nova,” she sobbed. I rubbed her back as I’d done for Madi before she abruptly pulled away, wiping away her tears roughly. “He’s gone, Nova, he’s dead.”

My eyes flicked to Rick quickly, trying to fight the horrified rage boiling into my gut. Ryan was dead and Rick had been the one to kill him. Exactly what I hadn’t wanted to happen. I couldn’t be completely enraged, but it was easier and more justifiable to just be angry. How was I going to explain this to the police? I was going to lose Rick for sure now, and despite the feeling of relief welling in my gut, an inexplicable heartbreak was squashing it down at the thought of losing him when I finally became free to have him. If even he still wanted me.

“What happened?” I asked quietly, finally meeting Rick’s sorrowful gaze.

“His heart gave out. I didn’t even have to lay a finger on him, it was pretty anticlimactic really,” he explained with a careless shrug. Just the sound of his voice was making my heart race and a part of me wanted to climb out of the bed and fling myself into his arms but I hardened myself to him, turning to Madi instead.

“I’m so sorry sweetheart,” I offered to her softly. She would never know the cruel things her father said about her, she knew he was a monster, but she could at least live under the illusion of his unending love for her.

“I’m glad he’s dead Mom,” she told me sharply, standing up from the bed.

“Y-You don’t mean that sweetheart.” I insisted. I didn’t want this for her, I didn’t want her to go through the same pain I went through. I pulled the blanket off of my lap, relishing in the cool air the swirl around my legs.

“I do mean that. Dad was a monster a-and after what he did to you? He deserved to die,” she assured me coldly. I didn't have it in me to convince her otherwise and I slumped back onto the bed in defeat.

“N-Nova, sweetie, what happened?” Beth asked cautiously, her eyes flitting to Summer’s quickly to stave off another interruption.

“I-I don’t want to talk about it, not here.” I brushed her off, standing up from the bed, a ghost of a pain shooting through my ankle. I was grateful it hadn’t lingered, seemingly repaired along with my other egregious injuries. I moved to the chair next to the bed where I found a bag containing my clothes.

“When we get home, I promise I’ll explain.”

Beth conceded, ushering the kids out of the room so I could change. I dug through the bag, dismayed to find only the blood-soaked clothes I been wearing when I got here. Rick stayed behind, still watching me awkwardly as I pulled the stained sweats out of the bag.

“D-Do you need some help?” he offered timidly as the door shut with a click. I shook my head quickly, stubbornly pulling the sweats on under the gown. “Y-You don’t have to wear those, I can get you something else.”

“No Rick, don’t worry about it,” I hissed, pulling the sweats up over my hips before grabbing my shirt.

“Come on Nova, let me get you something else, let me help you-”

I took a deep breath, trying to stop the anger and terror I had been living with for the past few months from boiling to the surface. I didn't want to snap, I knew I had hurt him but as my gaze found Rick, despite the look of sorrow that seemed to be a permanent fixture on his face, the sight of him only made me angrier. All of that talk of protecting me and he still fucking left me high and dry. Again.

“Oh, now you want to fucking help?”

He grabbed the shirt out of my hands, solidifying my anger as I spun around, looking up at him with all the hate I could muster. Every feeling of hopelessness and terror coursed through me as I looked into the eyes of the man who claimed he wouldn’t leave me, not again. Not unless I asked.

“Y-Yes?” he sputtered, looking confused at the sudden turn of my mood.

“That’s pretty fucking funny, could’ve used it a lot fucking sooner.” I yanked the shirt back out of his hands, pulling it over my head.

“N-Nova, you told me to leave you alone. You told me you didn’t want me anymore. I didn’t know what to do, B-Beth thought you were waiting for Madi to come home-”

“N-No!” I bellowed back at him, “I mean a fucking hours ago when my husband almost fucking killed me.” 

“Wh-What? I was there as soon as I could be- as soon as I heard anything,” he insisted, running his hands through his hair.

“The moment we walked in the door, it was over. He was out for my fucking blood.”

“I-I didn’t hear anything Nova, I’m sorry,” he apologized. Seeing him look completely defeated, my rage softened. Rick was someone who was always five steps ahead. Seeing him like this, looking so lost, broke my heart. “You didn’t use your panic button- I was going to get you out of there tonight, I-I didn’t know.”

“I did use my fucking panic button,” I assured him venomously. Just as soon as my heart softened to him, the mention of that useless fucking piece of technology enraged me all over again. “But I guess it doesn’t fucking work when the body housing its receiver is floating through the fucking vacuum of space.”

I watched as the blood drained out his face at the realization and I couldn't help but feel justified by his reaction. I had come to terms with it, knowing he hadn’t even thought of it since we hadn’t even used it since I moved in with Beth. I couldn’t blame him, not entirely. It hadn’t crossed my mind either and when I left, it had been so abrupt- there had been no time.

“I didn’t- I didn’t even think about that,” he confessed, despondent, “I just thought- I mean I heard you guys fighting but I thought if he was hurting you-”

“I used that fucking panic button every fucking night.”

“I’m sorry, Nova, I’m so fucking sorry. I let you down,” he murmured sadly, staring at the floor.

“I thought you gave up on me. I know what I said to you was cruel but I thought you would be smart enough to see right through it. Guess you let your ego get in the way.” My voice was distant, unable to sustain my anger anymore. I didn’t want to be upset with him, I lived, I was going to be okay, at least physically.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” he cried. The sound of his wavering voice crumbled my resolve, allowing me to finally move closer to him, prepared to offer him some comfort, “I never gave up on you. I just-I thought you had a plan, that you were just waiting for Madison- I just let myself believe what you said so I wouldn’t beat down the door and put her at risk.”

“I was waiting for Madi. You were at least right about that,” I relented, pulling the torn and bloodied shirt off with the gown underneath. I watched as his eyes found the scar that now distorted my torso. “I can’t wear this shit, can you find me something else?” I offered, extending a metaphorical olive branch.

“Of course.”

He opened up a portal stepping through it and re-emerging with fresh clothes, including undergarments and my running shoes.

“Did you just go into my house?” I asked, almost horrified at the clothes presented to me. 

“I mean, I don’t know your sizes, I just figured-”

“These are fine, thank you, Rick,” I interrupted him, pulling off my sweats, tossing them and the tank top into the trash. It was somehow strange to be standing here, completely naked in front of him but I didn’t shy away, didn’t take any extra care to hide my dignity. He wasn’t leering down at me like I was a piece of meat, he just wore a look of concern carried in his furrowed brow.

“Beth knows,” Rick told me softly as I finished tying my shoes. I froze a moment, looking up at him in horror at the implication.

“Sh-She knows…?”

“About us,” he confirmed with a curt nod.

“H-How did she- Oh she must be furious,” I rambled, running my hands through my hair as I started pacing.

“She’s not mad,” Rick assured me, grabbing my shoulders to stop me in my tracks, “She thinks it's… strange but she said it kind of made… sense?”

“Sh-She did?”

He nodded quickly, pulling me into his embrace. I melted into him completely, finally able to allow myself to release the stress on my shoulders. There was so much. Burying Ryan, dealing with the police, the house but right now in Rick’s arms, that all fell along the wayside.

* * *

It didn't take long for my entire world to fall apart. The moment I stepped through that portal, it seemed the entire world felt wrong. Gone was the comforting, if not brazen lights of the hospital. I spent my first week back dealing with the police answering every single one of their difficult questions.

“Where did the blood come from?”

“What happened that night, is it possible you did something to set him off?”

“Your injuries have never been reported and you have no visible wounds, we have no history of abuse in this household.”

Rick had offered to just make Ryan’s body disappear but I knew there would be people who would be looking for him, his parents, his coworkers. This path, however, resulted in me spending a night in jail. It didn't last long though, Rick stormed in demanding I be set free within the first hour I was there. When he was met with opposition, he merely nodded and asked to speak to the chief of police to straighten things out. He would never fully explain what he said to the man but when he emerged from the now docile police chief's office, I was released and free of all charges. My house was still a crime scene but I had no interest in going home. Beth eagerly welcomed me back into her home instead, clearing out Jerry’s office completely to put a bed in, allowing me some form of sanctuary. She even snuck over to my house and grabbed my living room TV to mount on the wall for added comfort.

This didn’t stop the frequent nightmares, however. Most nights I would wake up screaming, and depending who woke up first either Rick or Beth would appear to soothe me. Despite this, Rick and I hadn’t returned to our previous level of comfort with one another and I desperately missed it. The little kisses snuck in whenever there had been an opportunity, him playing with my hair while we watched TV… I missed it all. I missed it and yet I couldn't quite bring myself to broach the topic.

“Nova,” Beth called, knocking on my door softly one afternoon, about a week after I’d been released from custody. I knew why she was here already, she wanted to talk about Rick, about what happened before and after Ryan’s death. All the things I desperately wanted to avoid. I had given her cliff notes of that night and she seemed to be satisfied. Now she was just interested in understanding my relationship with her father.

“Come in,” I sighed wearily, gearing up for the conversation I had been dreading. I focused my attention on my TV, desperately trying to seem invested in whatever adult cartoon was playing to put it off even another minute longer.

“Nova, I wanted to talk to you,” Beth started, her eyes flicking up to the TV. I sighed again, muting it as I turned to her. “I just wanted to talk about you and… Dad.”

“I figured as much,” I conceded, cringing at her. “What, within reason, do you wanna know?”

“Well, how did this start?” She asked timidly, not quite able to meet my eyes.

“When he came back,’ I assured her, resting my hand on hers.

“I-I know that. I meant, when after he came back?” she pressed gently.

And so I launched into our sordid story. Starting with the dampener and only editing some of the details like the encounter with Unity and the first time we’d slept together, mostly just to save her the trauma. I told her about the Council of Ricks and how Ricks and Novas were a common occurrence in most of the dimensions. He and I were just two people that fit together like puzzle pieces. She stayed silent as I spoke but I took care to note that she wasn’t angry, she wasn’t upset, if anything, she almost looked satisfied.

“Ryan caught us i-in the garage. We had been… m-making out and he had walked over, looking for me. That’s when he dragged me out. That’s the end of our story,” I concluded, unsuccessfully fighting the mournful tone from creeping into my voice.

“Why do you say it’s the end?” Beth asked, her brow furrowing the same as her father's would when logic seemed to run out.

“I hurt him and he hurt me.” I shrugged. “And for once, his part was actually accidental whereas I broke his heart to save my daughter.”

“As bizarre as this feels to tell you, I think you need to give my dad a little more credit,” Beth chuckled softly. I cocked my brow at her and she elaborated, “I just mean- I talked to him the night Ryan died, about you. About what this thing is between you two. I think you need to talk to him, sort this stuff out and see if you can’t move past your pain.”

“If Rick had anything he wanted to say to me, he would’ve already. He’s not exactly a beat around the bush kind of guy,” I told her flatly, returning my gaze to the TV.

“Dad also doesn’t do emotions,” Beth reminded me gently, “When you’re ready, just try talking to him, okay?”

I nodded softly, as Beth stood up and thanked me before leaving the room. I stared into the TV as I considered her words, finding them to be the most obvious path but I couldn’t will myself off of the bed to go confront my issues. I’d had enough of confronting issues in the past two weeks to last me a lifetime and I just wasn’t eager to run off and go fight some more. I rolled over, tucking my blanket under my chin as I curled up into a ball and the haze of exhaustion flooded over me immediately. The dulcet sound of the TV lulled me to sleep and I didn’t even bother trying to fight it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will deal with Nova dealing with the trauma of the aftermath of everything that happened. My poor sweet girl 😭  
> Also, next time I do interwoven chapters I will absolutely try to do them so much better. I wasn't thinking about using the hospital scene in this chapter but I wanted to kind of try to explain why she was acting the way she was and I just don't think it's the best. It's not the most important part of the chapter so I'm going to leave it alone. I tried really hard to word it right but I just couldn't get it to feel the way I wanted it to within the parameters I'd set in the last chapter. In any case, this story is a trial and error of me trying to hone my skill again after years of being unable to focus long enough to tell a story of this caliber and length so I just kind of hope you guys bear that in mind when you're reading. Thank you so much for reading and commenting, it really means the world to me!  
> -Jess♥


	13. CUT CONTENT: Scar Rick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the first part of this story finished, I decided to post some of the stuff I worked really hard on but ultimately decided to cut out. I wrote most of the following while I was struggling to figure out how to start Ch8: What It Is To Burn before I just completely edited the ending and went from there.
> 
>  
> 
> (Originally posted on tumblr)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the scene of what happened to Scar Rick in the Ch7: Shameful Metaphors. I still hold to this as what happened from Nova’s POV, I just never really had a reason to revisit it. I really regret not incorporating it as I feel like the death of Scar Rick probably really hurt Nova but maybe I'll find somewhere to use it later, until then, here is exactly what happened.

Everything that had happened, from Scar dying to Rick proclaiming he’d rather have the council dead even at the risk of my own safety… It was too much. It was all too fucking much. As I gathered my belongings, packing them back into the duffle I’d arrived with was hard, but I needed time to process. Watching a Rick die, even if he wasn’t  _ my _ Rick was haunting me. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see him lying there, turning paler by the second.

* * *

 

_ “Then he dies. I’m sorry Nova.” Riq IV had stated simply from his throne with a shrug. Vicious anger ripped through me, as he spoke into his watch, delivering an order to have C-137, my Rick, assassinated. _

_ “You piece of fucking shit, you have to help me.” I bellowed up at the blue haired fuck. _

_ “I assure you, he will have a painless death and you can go back to your dimension and get on with your life.” He told me casually. My eyes shot to Scar, looking at me anxiously as his own eyes flitted between the council and I. _

_ “Well, if that’s going to be how it is…” I dragged out slowly, casually stalking forward, gripping the pistol Scar passed me discreetly. “Then, you die. I’m sorry Riq IV.” I took aim, firing as the six council members dove out of the way. _

_ “D-Dammit Nova, stand down!” Rick Prime bellowed from behind his throne. _

_ “Wh-Why?” I demanded. “I’m just regarding his life the same as you regard my Rick’s. NBD, right?” I spat at him venomously.  _

_ “Nova, c-calm down.” Scar said soothingly, resting a hand on my back. _

_ “N-No, fuck you Scar.” I flinched away from him, turning my gun on him. You just can’t fucking trust Ricks can you? _

_ “Nova, there are two fucking council members with you in his sights.” He urged through gritted teeth. “Calm. Down.” His head nudged lightly in the direction of the grand doors where I found two Ricks in white suits, their guns trained on me with no emotion on their face. _

_ “What am I supposed to do?” I asked him hysterically. “I knew coming here was a bad fucking idea.” _

_ “Give your Rick some fucking credit.” He murmured gruffly. “He’s gotten out of tighter jams than this one.”  _

_ As if on cue, the entire citadel erupted around us. Screams from Ricks and Mortys were deafening as they flooded into the Council hall. We had been teleported, planting the Citadel in the center of what looked like a large prison. Groflamites rained from the ceiling, and we put our differences aside to take out the immediate threat. Two of the bugs were able to dispatch the Guard Ricks and once I was out of immediate danger I raised my weapon again, aiming it at the nearest Council Rick. _

_ “Nova! Drop the weapon.” Quantum Rick said, approaching me with his own gun pointed at the two of us. “Just, let it go. He was just a Rick. He probably would’ve gotten you killed anyway without a second thought.” _

_ “You know Nova, since you’re all alone now, you could always look for a new Rick.” Riq IV grinned viciously as he eyed me wickedly. “I’ve never had the pleasure of a Nova.”  _

_ “And you never fucking will.” Scar growled, pushing me behind him as Riq IV stalked closer. _

_ It happened so quickly, a gun went off, a window broke and Scar groaned. Initially I thought a bullet broke one of the remaining windows of the council, but as Scar fell to his knees clutching his chest, the true horror of the situation became rapidly apparent. Quantum Rick’s pistol was still smoking as he grinned evilly at me. The other Ricks had formed around him, staring at Scar in disbelief. _

_ “I’ve been meaning to do that for a really long time.” He chuckled darkly.  _

_ The entire citadel shifted, dropping me to my knees as the Ricks around me struggled to keep their balance. I couldn’t stop staring at the Rick who had protected and cared for me as he bled out on the cold marble floor. My distraction offering Riq IV his opportunity to grab me by my arm, Zeta Alpha Rick appearing to have the same idea as he grabbed the other. The citadel shook again, scaring Quantum Rick enough to head for the door and disappear down the hall. The two Ricks pulled my arms in opposite direction like I was a goddamn ragdoll. Quantum Rick returned, shouting at the two to let me go. The surprise caused both of them to reflexively release me and I dropped down next to Scar. _

_ “I’m so sorry.” _

* * *

 

I grabbed my things, shaking away the memory as I surveyed the room, making sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. Certain I had collected everything, I pulled the door to the office open, making my way down the hallway to find Morty and Summer watching TV.

“Where are you going Aunt Nova?” Summer asked coolly. I was surprised that she'd even seen me as she hadn’t exactly looked up from her phone. Morty looked up from the couch, quickly assessing me and standing up.

“I have to go handle some things at home.” I told her with a shrug and started walking away. Morty followed me to the front door, his brow furrowed.

“Au-Aunt Nova, wait.” He said, grabbing my arm to stop me in my tracks. “Y-You’re going home? Wh-What about Rick?”

“What about Rick? I just have to sort some things out.” I repeated wearily.

“Wh-Whatever he did-”

“H-He didn’t do anything?” I assured him as I pulled the door opened and the warm summer air washed over me. “We had a bad adventure, but I’m not going home to stay.” 

“Yeah, she’s planning to leave in a bo*uuuurp*dy bag.” Rick slurred, stumbling out of the garage. I rolled my eyes at him, crossing the driveway as Morty berated him. Rick groaned at his grandson before catching up to me. “Nova, wait, I’m sorry-” He started.

“Rick, you’ve done nothing wrong.” I assured him calmly but firmly, I glanced over at Morty, who took it as a cue to make himself scarce. Rick took his absence and opportunity to lead me into his garage and I spared one last apprehensive glance to my house before following him. I suppose I could avoid Ryan for just a little bit longer.

“Nova, I don’t like this.” Rick started again. “What are you going to say to him?”

“I was thinking something like, ‘Hey Ryan, I would really rather fuck the old man next door than you, literally ever again so I’d like to get a divorce.’ How does that sound?” I asked him sarcastically.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t even have to tell him that, you-you could probably just do that.” He grinned devilishly.


	14. CUT CONTENT: Wichgurten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This was an attempt at finding a way for Rick to kinda… trap her in the house? But it wasn’t like him intentionally trapping her in the house or anything, just Rick things happening that would stop her from leaving. Not sure why I didn’t like it over a reread. I guess it just wasn’t doing what I wanted it to thematically. Who knows anymore? 🤷♀️😂 oh and also Morty talks to Nova about Rick and her feelings for him, I really wish I would’ve kept that. Ah well, c’est la vie. It was also kinda meant to follow the previous cut content. So. Yeah. Lol.

I shook the memory away when a knock broke my reverie. “Au-Aunt Nova?” Morty called from the other side of the door. “C-Can I come in?”

“Of course Morty.”

“Wh-What happened? Where were you guys?” He asked me nervously.

“Nothing sweetheart, just another bad adventure.” I brushed him off.

He caught sight of my packed bag, fear coating his features. “Y-You’re leaving? N-Nova, please don’t go .” He pleaded. “I don’t know what Rick did, b-but you were the one who said he was bad at showing he cares-”

“Morty stop.” I silenced him. “Rick didn’t do anything. H-He probably saved my ass from my own hubris today.” 

“Th-Then where are you going?” He demanded. “Why are you leaving now?”

“Beth said Ryan’s been looking for me.” I shrugged. “I can’t hide from my problems here forever.”

Morty was silent for a moment before looking up at me, his eyes stoic. “You love Rick, right?”

“I-I… N-No, o-of course n-not, don’t be s-silly.” I stammered unconvincingly as he stared at me unimpressed. “I-I don’t know, I think so?” I conceded finally. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve felt like this, whatever this is.”

“S-Since he left?” Morty asked sympathetically.

“I-I’m really not comfortable discussing this with you.” I dismissed him, picking up my bag and securing the strap over my shoulder. “Let’s talk about something else, how’s Jessica?”

“Au-Aunt Nova, I mean this respectfully be-because I love you, but you’re being an idiot. D-Don’t run back to Ryan because you’re afraid of Rick. Love him or not, I saw what Ryans have done to Novas. I-I just don’t want that to happen to you.”

“What are you talking about?” I wanted to ask, but before I could say anything, blast doors were coming up over the windows, blocking any possible any possible exit save for the door into the rest of the house. Rick stormed in frantically, running his long fingers through his hair.

“S-Sorry Nova, you can’t leave yet.” He informed me, shutting the door behind him.

“Th-The fuck do you mean I can’t leave.” I demanded angrily, pushing him out of the way and opening the door myself to find the house slowly being covered in creeping vines. I slammed the door quickly wearing a terrified look as I turned back to Rick. “What the fuck is happening out there?” I bellowed. “It looks like one of my fucking nightmares.”

“Yeah, you ever pissed off a witch before? I don’t recommend it.” He explained flatly, averting his eyes from me.

“W-Witches are real?” Morty asked horrified as he watched vines cover the window making the room almost pitch black. Rick opened his palm, pressing it directly in the middle to produce a small amount of light. “Wh-Where are Mom and Dad?” He pressed Rick angrily.

“I-I-I-I don’t know Morty! I didn’t see them but I don’t think they were in the house. I heard Beth yelling at Jerry before they got in the car and took off. I haven’t seen your sister though.” He mentioned nervously.

“Summer’s not here.” Morty breathed a sigh of relief as he realized his family was safe, for the most part anyway.

“What do we do?” I asked Rick, doing my best to remain calm. “When have you had any time to be pissing off witches? Did you steal her cauldron or something?”

“N-Not those kind of witches Nova.” He corrected me quickly. “Witches are a species from the Wichgurten galaxy. They’re sentient fucking plants.”

“Are you fucking kidding me.” I groaned loudly. “What did you do to them?” 

“A-A couple years ago, I found their planet and they have Ojivardium there, Nova. Ojivardium is an incredible fucking power source, and I may have mined their planet dry.”

“You what?!”

“I needed it more- Look that’s not the point, they finally figured out a way to create power on their own and they found me here- for fucking planets, they’re like goddamn bloodhounds- and they want their vengeance.” He explained dramatically. I groaned, dropping my duffle back to the floor and sitting down at Jerry’s desk in frustration.

“Rick! How are you going to fix this?” Morty asked angrily. “We can’t just stay in here forever!”

“Y-You think I wanna be trapped in here with you for the foreseeable future Morty?” Rick shot back at his grandson.

“What about your portal gun?” I asked, interrupting the two before they could squabble more.

“It's in the garage.” He lamented. “I was fixing the hack job Scar Rick did to it and I saw the vines and I… forgot to pick it up.”

“Rick!” Morty and I shouted in unison.

“I know, I know, I fucked up.” He relented. “I think I have an idea how to get rid of them.”

I approached the window, inspecting the vines scaling the walls.


	15. CUT CONTENT: Drunk Rick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And this was just Rick trying to talk to her to get her to stay. And he’s drunk. And its kinda adorable and yet again, I don’t know why I didn’t like it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've been summoned here because of notifications of a new chapter, I have... news for you. I've decided to split the story. The title 'Rick in the Water' came from the standard RnM tradition of naming the episode something somewhat related but also having Rick's name in the title. Well, the reference for this title was 'Knife In The Water' (just google it) and that theme has run out, so we're onto the "next episode" lol. Ch12&13 are going to part of a new story all in the RITW series. I hope you understand this decision and my reasons for doing it this way. I just felt the "Nova and Ryan" part of the story was over. I should have ended it there but I didn't so I'm doing this. So. Yeah. The story is by no means over, just this part of it. Thank you so much for reading. It really does mean the world to me.

God fucking dammit Nova.

After killing the entire bottle, I stood up and tried to catch my balance before going to look for Nova. I caught her by the front door still looking morose and pitiful. Her eyes met mine eagerly before she closed them and took a deep breath, apparently trying to will herself to power past me. She brushed past me, knocking my already precarious equilibrium off balance, sending me toppling against the wall. She looked back at me horrified and apologetic.

“D-Don’t worry about it sweet girl.” I slurred, waving my hand dismissively. “You can run into me anytime you want.” I said with a wink.

“Gross Grandpa.” Summer called from the living room.

“Sorry Summer.” Nova blushed. God she’s so pretty, like too pretty. Ugh.

“What are you sorry for?” Summer called back, and I could hear her rolling her eyes. “Grandpa’s the one being weird.”

“Sh-Shut up Summer.” I interrupted them, completely uninterested in Summer’s opinion on me hitting on her Aunt. “Nova, can I talk to you for a moment?” I asked her quietly, sweeping my arms clumsily toward the garage. “The garage door will stay open s-so you can flee whenever.”

“I’m not running away Rick.” Nova told me and despite her annoyance, she followed me to the garage. “Make it quick.” She demanded, sitting down in my chair, leaving me to pace nervously.

“I-I just wanted to know what the hell was going on. I-I mean, are you okay? Why are you going home?” I rambled.

“I’m still in shock from everything that happened Rick.” She told me flatly. “And I’m going home so I can try to never have to go back there again.”

“A-Are you sure you need to do that, right now?” I pressed.

“I’m tired of worrying about it.” She shrugged. “The longer I wait, the angrier he’s going to get, whether he intends it or not.”

“L-Let me go with you.” I insisted, slurring my speech despite my attempts to sound perfectly reasonable.

“Yeah Rick, I’m sure he’d love to see you there too. ‘Hey Ryan. I want a divorce. I made out with the old guy you really hate for some reason and I liked it a lot more than I anticipated, which I assure you is saying something, so I’m just gonna go do that now, wanna watch?’” She glared sarcastically and I couldn’t stop the smirk forming on my face.

“Oh, you liked making out with me huh?” Goddammit, that was not the part to focus on but yet here I was imagining it as she rolled her eyes and picked her bag back up.

“I gotta go Rick.” She said, rubbing the spot on the back of her hand, causing a quiet alarm to go off in my arm. “I’ll call you if I need you, okay?”

“Nova, are you sure about this?” I asked apprehensively as I followed her to the garage door. She stood on her tiptoes, pecking my lips softly before grinning despite whatever trauma she must be processing. Her touch sent a sense of calm through me and allowed me to watch her leave without chasing her down and making her stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does any want to see my original outline for this story? It... kinda kept to it but then also did not whatsoever. I know some writers post it at the end (it's honestly where I got the idea to post the cut content) so I figured I'd ask if anyone was interested in seeing how disastrously off course this story got. XD


End file.
